11/3/2003: Japanese dolphin kill

[Undertoad]

The official cap:

The sea turns red with the blood of dolphins caught and butchered by fishermen near Taiji, Japan. Japan, to its shame, allows 22,275 of the intelligent marine mammals to be caught during the October-to-April hunt. This photo was taken by the American anti-whaling group Sea Shepherd Conservation Society.

Sick.

From the full story, "In the videotape, fishermen pound on the water, causing waves that confuse the animals' sense of direction, then corral the dolphins into small coves, where they can be easily killed."

Sick.

So, uh, who wants to go for a swim?

[Whit]

      Personally I find this revolting. Largely because of watching "Flipper" as a child and all the stories one hears about dolphins saving human lives. Still...

From the article:
"What's wrong with eating dolphins? There are Hindus, Muslims around the world who don't eat beef or pork, but do they tell Europeans not to eat this meat," Sato said. "To impose one's culture on others is to deny the culture of other countries."

      Sato makes a good point here. It's sick because of how we feel. His point is pretty damn logical. I would be all for finding a more humane way to kill the dophins if possible, but again that's emotion based thinking.

It's not really emotion-based thinking. I think it's the right thing to do to keep animals from suffering as much as possible. Why? Because if we're raising them just to eat 'em, I figure we can at least treat them humanely while they're alive. Wouldn't we want the same for ourselves?

I find it revolting because <b>look at that water!</b> I don't have any problem with eating dolphins per se, although they are more intelligent creatures and therefore probably are more like humans when it comes to being hunted down and killed (i.e., know what's going on and are not happy about it).

[Whit]

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; These dophins aren't being raised to eat though. They're being hunted in the wild. The water is indeed disgusting, and the animals inteligence is part of what I find so disturbing about it. However, you ever hunt deer? It can be a pretty bloody affair as well. Since it's not in the water it's not so... visually disurbing. Also, they're "corraling them into a cove, so all the blood is in a limited space. Makes for a foul image, which is exactly what the person taking the pic wanted.

Nah, I don't hunt deer. I'm aware of how messy it can be, 'cause I've been around it, but I don't feel any particular need to hunt. Those that enjoy it can do so. My problem is that I get out there and I see a carefree animal stomping around in the snow and having a good time, and I don't want to disturb that.

[Whit]

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Interestingly enough, that's where I stand on deer hunting too. Alot of my friends and relative's hunt, which I'm cool with, but I don't. I've spent enough time in the woods to have walked close, even dangerously close to deer. They're much more, um... impressive I guess is the word, in the wild. Especially when you're on the ground and unarmed.
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; I've never seen one in the snow though... maybe that's cause I'm hiding in the warmth of a home or building?

[Happy Monkey]

There's some question about whether the blood in the water has been photoshopped a bit.

[Whit]

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; It wouldn't surprise me if it was photoshoped a bit. You would have to know about the turbidity of the water there, as well as what kind of water flow somes in and out of those coves to know for sure. The amount of blood isn't that important anyway. It's just a way to graphically make the number of dolphins hit home.

[OnyxCougar]

Originally posted by Whit
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Sato makes a good point here. It's sick because of how we feel. His point is pretty damn logical. I would be all for finding a more humane way to kill the dophins if possible, but again that's emotion based thinking.

Not such a good point.

To say that westerners eat cows and pigs and therefore (basically) can't say shit about them eating dolphins is not a valid point because we raise the cows and pigs our culture consumes. I don't see dolphin farms in Japan for the cultural consumption by the Japanese. It's apples and oranges.

If they want to raise dolphins as livestock and slaughter them for food, I'm fine with that. Apperantly the Japanese govt is fine with them slaughtering a given amount per year.

The sea turning red with the blood is sick, and I have no intention of knowingly eating dolphin. I buy dolphin safe tuna, too. But I think they should be able to eat it, if their culture (and government) says it's ok and it follows international environmental law.

[Undertoad]

I would guess that they just turned up the color saturation of that particular red, but not that they did a color conversion, or added new red where it wasn't.

[quzah]

It is to... cry.

People suck.

Quzah.

[Leah]

These people have to be stopped, it's F*#king sick.
And the Japanese wonder why more and more people are loosing respect for them and their tradition/culture. They have stripped the oceans surrounding them and now fish in our waters, illegally. They need to be stopped and stopped for good.

Yes! And... the fine tradition of bukkake needs to be imported here to the US! Along with all their women! Yes!

I like the way Leah thinks!

[xoxoxoBruce]

Originally posted by Undertoad
I would guess that they just turned up the color saturation of that particular red, but not that they did a color conversion, or added new red where it wasn't.

The greenery and the boat look pretty intense too. The rocks wouldn't show anything anyway. The watermark looks like its low tide or coming up. That would tend to keep the red in the cove.