Four dolphins escaped from Dolphin Base in Taiji, a Japanese recreational dolphin center, on Wednesday with their staff reporting that someone has slashed the net. The news sent the management furious over the incident that someone can be so callous to let go of the dolphins in a town known for its dolphin hunts.
Three of the four dolphins went back to the net on their own but one is still missing. Dolphin Base posted on their blog that though the public thinks the dolphins would freely swim away from the center, it is thought to be otherwise.
"Dolphins who live together do not leave others around in the open sea," they wrote. The last dolphin was found in the entrance and looked seemingly scared as it does not know how to get back in the net. The dolphins will undergo training on how to pass the entrance. Meanwhile, the center will restore their nets and hope that the incident won't happen again.
From September to March, Taiji, Japan celebrates an annual hunting spree to butcher the dolphins for their meat. Through the years, the event has been widely criticized by animal welfare groups and has been turned into an award-winning documentary in 2009, titled The Cove. However, according to The Guardian, some locals have defended the hunt and said it is tradition, a statement that even the Japanese government has nodded.
Four months ago, fishermen caught and killed 20 dolphins during the hunt. This event will continue up to summer and an updated info from the Dolphin Project stated that on Wednesday, Taiji waters have run red when 30 to 35 striped dolphins lost their lives.
"Under the guise of tradition, they are ignoring that these are families," the agency said. As of writing, the Dolphin Project tweeted that hunters are doing some net maintenance now in preparation for another haul.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
