The media today is full of misinformation, and people these days don't usually reason and believe anything they hear and put it as an idea. A simple report showing Chinese people eating dogs at a festival in a certain city in China was able to root the idea that Chinese people eat dogs even though 99% of the Chinese have never eaten a dog in their lives.
Because of these reports, people tend to create generalized ideas about countries and nationalities, and they don't even notice that in Brazil similar practices occur such as the killing of rabbits, frogs, armadillos, bull testicles, mocotó, chouriço, sarapatel, and other foods that may be considered strange and gross to some. It's no longer enough that Japanese people eat some seafood alive, now people claim that Japanese eat dolphins. Let's try to really understand what happens and what this practice is in order to silence the generalizers.
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Yes they kill dolphins
Just like the whale hunting, the capture of dolphins has other purposes. Unlike whales, dolphins are far from extinction; in fact, even the whales that the Japanese hunt are far from extinction. The concerning issue that generates the controversies around eating dolphins is not the meat itself, as criticizing the consumption of an animal simply for being cute is nothing more than hypocrisy. What is truly concerning is the way dolphins are captured and killed; dolphins are lured and surrounded by a barrier of sound and killed by harpoons, while other dolphins watch this sea of blood.
All this slaughter happens only in a SMALL place (village) in Japan called Taiji. They claim that eating this meat is a local tradition. And it's not 20,000 dolphins as some websites claim; decades ago the numbers were only around 1,500, and now in recent years it has drastically dropped to 200. This is because it is not beneficial at all to kill dolphins; let's understand the reason.
First selling a live dolphin to the outdoors or water park generates a profit of $300,000. While with the sale of the meat the profit is less than 1,000 dollars. Not to mention that the meat is not sold all over Japan, while some reports lie that it is a common meat, it is only consumed infrequently in the Taiji region where this hunting takes place. Not even 1% of the population had a chance to try this meat, some have only tried it once in their lifetime. Many Japanese are not even aware of the killing of dolphins and the sale of their meat, which is mostly sent abroad. Many who know still condemn the practice and campaign against it!
Facts about Dolphin Killing
Let's see some information, data. statistics and curiosities for you to examine calmly.
- Dolphins are hunted in other countries such as the Solomon Islands, the Faroe Islands, and Peru;
- Dolphin meat poses health risks due to its pollution;
- Taiji in Wakayama is the only place in Japan where this hunt occurs.
- Currently the method used to kill dolphins is with a spear in the neck so that they die quickly without suffering;
- Countries like Taiwan, Hawaii, and even Washington have hunted dolphins. Several countries where hunting is prohibited still occurs, and in large numbers, in Peru, for example, nearly 2000 dolphins die each year.
- In 2007, about 1000 animals were killed.
- The Japanese Association of Zoos and Aquariums does not support hunting;
- Several veterinarians and scientists have concluded that the method used for hunting must be banned;
- Taiji began the first commercial hunting operations in 1606;
- The hunting season opens on September 1st and goes until February, with a maximum of 1800 per year;
Where do we want to go?
The simple fact that news spreads widely or with incorrect numbers and information leads people to draw conclusions or have absurd ideas about what is really happening. We are not defending this practice; any act of violence and cruelty against animals is condemnable. But what is happening is not so serious as to make foolish people develop hatred towards an entire nation that doesn't even know what is going on. Especially when our nation and all other nations are responsible for similar and repugnant acts.
The truth is that this Taiji tradition is nothing more than a lucrative business to sell live dolphins and traders sell some meat at exorbitant prices to an insignificant number of people. Of course I don't blame anyone who eats the meat of this animal, there are many other animals that die cruelly and that people eat daily. I'm not going to criticize the practice just because they are cute and intelligent pets. But I believe that the method used could be a little different and less cruel. But don't we catch fish with a hook and let them die for lack of water?
And what is the Government's position on this? When it comes to money, every government is flawed and practitioners end up circumventing or using loopholes in the law to run their lucrative business. Prostitution is prohibited in Japan and even so it is not difficult to find it, understand that the Law is always flawed and there is no perfect government system. If you deeply research things that happen in the dark in any country you will be scared. So don't let generalized information make your head to the point of generating hate for people who have nothing to do with the subject. We may hate the practice and the people who practice it but not an entire nation that has nothing to do with it.