The annual dolphin slaughter event in Japan drove about 500 dolphins to the Taiji cove this year. The event is the town's long-held tradition, with hundreds of dolphins killed during the hunting season every year.
The hunting process is brutal. Fishermen on boats surround pods of migrating dolphins. They use nets to separate the dolphins into different pods. The dolphins deemed the "best-looking" are separated and sold to aquariums, while some others are captured and sold to restaurants. The dolphins are killed by fishermen, who hammer a metal rod into their spinal cords. Environmentalists claim dolphins can take up to 30 minutes to die by suffocation or drowning.
The hunt was brought to the public's attention four years ago in the Oscar-winning documentary The Cove. The controversial event draws criticism from environmental activists such as U.S. ambassador Caroline Kennedy, who posted a message on Twitter condemning the practice. However, Japan's top government spokesman Yoshihide Suga defended the practice as "lawful," while adding that dolphins are "very important water resources."
Currently, dolphins are not protected under the International Whaling Commission control, and some local fishermen simply believe the cull is necessary to keep dolphins from eating too many fish.
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