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Understanding whale and dolphin hunts in the Faroe Islands – why change is not easy

Dolphins endure extreme suffering when captured from the wild

It’s not just the dolphins who are killed or captured in Japan’s cruel hunts that suffer. It’s likely that dolphins who witness the hunts but escape, endure extreme physical and psychological suffering. All this is revealed in a new review, co-authored by WDC’s Philippa Brakes and published in the scientific Journal of Applied Animal Welfare…

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Swiss International Air Lines says NO to carrying dolphins

WDC’s ongoing campaign to persuade airlines who are members of the Star Alliance group not to transport dolphins around the world has seen more success with the confirmation from Swiss International Air Lines that their freight subsiduary, Swiss WorldCargo, is not involved in the practice. In a message confirming its position to WDC, the airline…

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Taiji sets up cultural links with Faroese town

Taiji, the Japanese coastal town where the notorious dolphin drive hunts take place, announced on Wednesday that it has established cultural links with Klaksvik, the second largest town in the Faroe Islands. Those cultural links include the fact that Klaksvik is also a location where drive hunts take place, primarily targeting pilot whales. In a…

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More whale and dolphin species to be hunted in Taiji, Japan

According to reports from Japan, two new species have been added to the list of those already allowed to be killed, and captured by fishermen in Taiji for use in captivity shows. The Japanese Fisheries Agency (JFA) has included rough-toothed dolphins and melon-headed whales to the nine other species already listed. Fishermen in Wakayama and…

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Hundreds of dolphins captured in Taiji

A ‘superpod’ of around 300 dolphins has been captured by hunters in the cove near the infamous town of Taiji, Japan. Since their capture, the dolphins are being subject to a selection process by divers who will decide which dolphins should be sold to marine parks and those that will be slaughtered. The dolphins can fetch…

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Dolphin drive hunts – hope or despair?

The terrible tally of dolphins killed or captured alive in this season’s drive hunts in Taiji, Japan is currently 402 slaughtered, 102 taken alive and 170 released, their fate unknown. Five different species have been captured or killed: bottlenose dolphins, pantropical spotted dolphins, Risso’s dolphins, short-finned pilot whales and striped dolphins. Many more are likely…

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