Taiji Dolphin Slaughter Starting September 1st

Starting September 1st, a hunt for 2,000 dolphins will take place
in Taiji, Japan inside the infamous 'Cove'. These dolphins, found by Japan going through migration routes, are corralled by fisherman then sold to aquariums around the world, and then slaughtered inside a secret cove. This must be stopped. For more info, go to SaveJapanDolphins.org!

Friday, September 23, 2011

Having The Opportunity, Choosing To Take It, and Ways To Use It

During my personal past experiences of educating others on the captivity of marine mammals and what needs to be done to set them free, but most importantly WHY we set them free, those who do not get involved and interactive towards goal, always give the same excuse.. "I can't do that." when the answer should be "What can I do to help?"


"I can't do that"
In reply to the "I can't do that" group, I tell them about the Award Winning 2009 Documentary 'The Cove' starring Ric O'Barry and his team opposing the slaughter of 2,000 dolphins inside the infamous 'cove' located in Japan. I tell them that to watch it, is taking a big step from the "I can't" to "I'm trying". That to watch it, is at least attempting to understand it, educate yourself, and even possibly motivate you to stand up, be heard, and make a difference.

This movie has inspired many lovers of the Oceans, dolphins specifically, ALL animals, or even those just wishing to see a change in human nature, to make the choice to be against it and be a part of actually seeing that change they are so desperately hoping for. 

"There is a choice you have to make in everything you do. Just keep in mind, the choice you make, makes you." -Anon.


It all starts with one person, then that person shares the movie with friends, they share it with their friends, and so on until a plethora of people are working together against the slaughter. 


Also, another view of the "I can't do that" group, is not having the time, not having the opportunity, not knowing they can make a difference, or just not knowing how to start. These are petty excuses used by weak people. The opportunity is always there, always open. Whether or not you take the opportunity (take the chance) is your choice, your action, and the decision you have to make yourself, and only yourself. To be truly effective, and to lead the way towards change and turning the tides for  these beautiful creatures you have to stay true to yourself and who you are, not what others want you to be. 


If you choose to be the person who moves from the "I can't do that" group to the "What can I do to help?" group, that choice itself is probably the biggest and most important decision you will have had to make. And one that will make your efforts worthwhile.

"What can I do to help?" 
There are many effective tactics and ways that you (yes, you) can directly help in fighting for those who can't fight for themselves. These range from online action, sharing (updates, blogs, petitions, The Cove Movie... You can do this via Twitter, Facebook, etc..), to being right there working at point-blank range to put a stop to it. 

-Online Action
  • Create and sign petitions, DEMANDING that the government end the slaughter. 
  • Follow Ric O'Barry and his team, the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society's 'Cove Guardians'
  • Start E-mail campaigns, raising funds for organizations opposing the slaughter. (Sea Shepherd, the Save Japan Dolphins Team [Ric O'Barry]).
  • STAY UPDATED AND STAY SOCIAL --- Become associated with activists like yourself, so you can stay updated on the latest events.
-Sharing
  • SHARE the petitions that you sign and create so others can also sign them, and share them. (This also falls under the STAY SOCIAL bullet above, and the CREATE AND SIGN PETITIONS bullet)
  • Share updates with friends and others. 
  • Run and share blog updates on the problem so you can also directly update your friends. 
  • A very important subject you should share often is watching The Cove movie... the movie that created an armada of activists, animal lovers, and people from all over to raise their voice.
  • You can use Twitter (you can reach thousands of people with one simple tweet), Facebook, Blogger, and other social networking sites
- Point-Blank Range Action
  • You can travel to Taiji, Japan with the Sea Shepherd 'Cove Guardians' by visiting Get Involved with Sea Shepherd and volunteer to crew at sea.
  • You can travel to Taiji, Japan with the Save Japan Dolphins team by visiting Take Action with Save Japan Dolphins and volunteer to monitor the cove with the team. 
  • Simply go on a trip to the town of Taiji without a organized group and monitor the actions, and report the latest.

7 comments:

  1. Way to go Austin ~ Every time a dolphin or orca is taken into captivity, a little piece of the ocean dies. Thank you for everything you do to save the ocean <3

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  2. ∞ “Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.” ~ Helen Keller

    ∞ “He who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it.” ~ Martin Luther King, Jr

    ∞ “To me, you’re either an activist or an inactivist.” ~ Louie Psihoyos | quote from The Cove

    ∞ “By being inattentive to the needs of others, inevitably we end up harming them.” ~ Dalai Lama

    ∞ “The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing.” ~ Albert Einstein

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  3. Good thoughts Austin!

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  4. But the thing is, a lot of facts in 'The Cove' are not true. Nice going, educating people based on biased lies. 'The Cove' is dishonest at worst, misleading at best.

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  5. Anon, I would appreciate if you would put your name when you comment so I know who I am speaking with. It is obvious that you are against 'The Cove' and I respect that. But I am educating people on a horrible hunt that takes place ea ch year, and is taking place right now. I have not wrote ANY 'biased lies'. And the Cove is an award winning documentary that gave people the inspiration to oppose this hunt. I respect your opinion, but if you are going to criticize my post, please post who you are first.

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  6. I was simply stating that 'The Cove' is mostly lies. If you truly want to educate people about the slaughter, maybe talk about Hardy Jones' 'The Dolphin Defender', seeing as The Cove uses lies about dolphinariums to get publicity for the drive hunt, and Ric throws in WAY too many of his own opinions. It is in reality just a sad excuse for an "educational" documentary.

    *Don't get me wrong, I'm 100% against the slaughter, it's absolutely terrible, and I do indeed applaud both you and Ric for trying to stop it, but you might want to use more factual and credible information while educating. Just my two cents*

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  7. Great blog! We can change this!!

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