Japan and the dolphin massacre...

AT Taiji, a quaint whaling town 700km south of Tokyo, waves lap against steep rocks of a popular national park. However, visitors are kept well away from the slaughter happening in a secluded lagoon nearby.

Japanese fishermen, backed by the country's government, are slaughtering thousands of dolphins off the coast, while ignoring both international protests and concerns over contaminated dolphin meat being sold to the public.

Between October and April, some 16,000 to more than 20,000 of the animals are killed in the annual hunt, in Taiji and other Japanese fishing towns, often cruelly stabbed with knives, hooks and lances.

The mass slaughter goes ahead with the backing of the government, but without the majority of the population being aware of it. Part of the marine mammals' flesh is sold in Japan, despite warnings of high-level mercury contamination, animal rights activists said. More...

See also:

1. Tail-walking dolphins hint at "culture..."
2. The creative and psychic power of animals...
3. WTF! Pets being abandoned for stupid reasons...
4. Whitman: I think I could turn and live with animals...
5. Kobe beef: massage and 6 bottles of beer a day before appearing on a dish...