Japan's annual dolphin hunt goes on despite international criticism
Environmental group describes graphic cull in Taiji cove, but Japan insists its methods are humane and legal
Undeterred by fierce international criticism, Japanese fishermen were out at sea yesterday attempting to trap more dolphins as part of an annual hunt.
Clouds of blood drifted through the waters of the cove in Taiji on Tuesday as metal spikes were driven into the spinal columns of bottlenose dolphins that had been trapped for several days, environmentalists said.
Activists from the militant Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, who are keeping vigil at the site in western Japan, said several dozen animals were killed behind tarpaulin sheets. Video footage from the group showed fishermen in wetsuits grappling with the dolphins as they herded them into the screened-off area.
Yesterday the hunters' boats were out on the ocean looking for more pods, the group said on its Twitter feed, but added that the pod they had initially been chasing had got away.
The group said on its Facebook page that 41 dolphins had been killed so far, and 52 had been removed alive from the cove.
The environmental group said that the fishermen intended to sell the captive creatures to aquariums and dolphinariums.
The mass slaughter of the animals at Taiji came to worldwide attention with the Oscar-winning 2009 film The Cove, which graphically showed the cull.