|
Campaign Spokespersons Hayden Panettiere, Isabel
Lucas,
and Dave Rastovich risk injury and arrest to help expose
the
notorious Taiji dolphin-killing cove to the
world!
Pictures credits "Peter
Carette ICON Images, Jeff Pantukhoff, and Oceanic Preservation
Society"
Taiji Japan (October 29, 2007) - Less than 24
hours after professional surfer Dave Rastovich led an international
group of surfers, celebrities, and musicians on a peaceful
paddle-out ceremony to honor the spirits of the over 25,000
dolphins killed each year in Japan, fishermen in the tiny
village of Taiji resumed the slaughter that had been delayed by the
increased worldwide media attention drawn by the group’s arrival in
late October.
.  |
In response, they decided in solidarity to make
a pre-dawn return to the killing cove to recreate the
ceremony, albeit smaller, within a stone’s throw of the
captive pilot whales, paddling through waters stained red with
blood. |
| “The reason we surfers were
there was to share the water, stained red with blood, at
eye-level, with our ocean kin awaiting their execution,” said
a dripping, visibly shaken Rastovich, co-founder of Surfers
for Cetaceans, just after paddling in. “Despite the fishermen
taking great pains to hide their acts of cruelty, we seized
this as an opportunity to bring this travesty to the world’s
attention”. |
| .
|
Area fishermen, who kill dolphins and whales for their
meat, along with capturing some of them to sell to marine and
captive swim parks, netted off the bay and constructed green
tarps to shield the slaughter from prying eyes and front-line
cetacean activists bent on shutting down the dolphin trade
forever. When the surfers learned of over 30 pilot whales,
including calves, being herded into the narrow rocky cove at
Taiji, they did not hesitate to return despite the distinct
possibility of violent resistance and police
arrest.
|
|
.  |
Rastovich, leading the team trailed by
camera crews, arrived at the infamous Taiji cove to
paddle out to the captured pilot whales. After
crossing the netted enclosure they quickly arrived
alongside the whales who swam back and forth along the
edge of the seaward net. |
| The
six paddlers, including
Heroes star Hayden
Panettiere, Australian actress Isabel
Lucas, author Peter Heller,
professional surfer Karina Petroni, Dave
Rastovich, and his wife
Hannah, formed a traditional surfers’
memorial circle sited between the whales and the
blood-ridden shallows. |
| |
|
|
Local fishermen converged almost immediately,
harassing the paddlers with yelled threats and brandishing
whirling propeller blades. At times, the irate fishermen, who
were continually yelling
“Why are you here!?!”,
“Go Home!”, jabbed at the surfers using a long wooden
pole.
| “Even
though the fishermen used force to try and break us up, we held our
peaceful circle.” said model Hannah Rastovich. With
tensions escalating and the police sirens growing, the surfers
quickly paddled back to shore where Hayden Panettiere fell to her
knees overwhelmed by the carnage she and the group had just
witnessed.
“I
couldn’t believe how red the water was,” said Panettiere.
“The whales were so scared. Hopefully their deaths won’t be in
vain.”
After a long journey enroute to Osaka, 30 policemen readied
with a paddy wagon stopped the three-van convoy at the border of the
Wakayama prefecture. After checking passports and questioning the
group intently, police waved the crew on their way.
|
Reflecting on the day’s experience, a somber
Isabel Lucas said, “The worst part is that
whales are probably all dead by now. We couldn’t save these
whales but hopefully shining the light on their deaths will
save others.”
“People from around the world need to know this
barbaric and cruel slaughter is still going on added
“Save the Whales Again!” Campaign Director, Jeff
Pantukhoff. “People need not only to take notice,
they need to take action!” |
|
|
