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Please sign petition and send sample letter to help dolphins housed in horrible conditions

February 23, 2012

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SOURCE: Facebook Event

BACKGROUND

The Smallest Dolphin Captive tank in the WORLD houses 2 dolphins named “Sad & Lonely” by Ric O’Barry!

No sun! No fresh air!  These dolphins were captured by the Taiji Fishermen and placed from the wild world of up to 100 miles of swimming a day to a rectangular box-like glass aquarium where they float waiting for food. Sad (Dolphin) floats underneath a small opening that food is dropped from with his/her nose to the corner while lonely (Dolphin) floats behind in the remaining area of maybe 20ft x 15ft and 6ft deep. Just horrible condition for such highly intelligent creatures of our beautiful ocean! Barely anyone goes into the hallway that their cage is located!

Two ways to help!  Please sign petition and contact WAZA directly: the Taiji Whale Museum is a member of the Japan Association of Zoos and Aquariums, or JAZA. JAZA in turn is a member organization of the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums, or WAZA. WAZA maintains ethical standards for their associated zoos and aquariums all around the world. WAZA is based in Switzerland.

Call or e-mail them NOW!


PETITION

Please click on and sign Shut Down the Smallest Dolphin Tank in the World


WHOM TO CONTACT

Dr. Jorg Junhold, WAZA President
Gerald Dick, Executive Director

WAZA Executive Office
IUCN Conservation Centre
Rue Mauverney 28
CH-1196 Gland
Switzerland

Phone +41 (0)22 999 07 90
Fax +41 (0)22 999 07 91
secretariat@waza.org



SAMPLE LETTER

Dear President Junhold and Executive Director Dick,

I am writing today to encourage the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums, or WAZA, to act on behalf of Sad and Lonely, two dolphins languishing in the Taiji Whale Museum, in the smallest tank in the world, to relinquish them back to their natural habitat. These beings have been subjected to horrific enslavement, imprisoned and forced to endure inadequate space, inferior medical treatment and care, lack of companionship, and involuntary training. As the result of a more attentive and compassionate group, individuals comprising a large global audience concerned with these animals have been respectfully offering scientific and medical evidence establishing the debilitating natures to which they are exposed. Sadly, however, corporate greed and indifference have resulted in their deteriorating mental and physical states.

Although the museum may assert that humane protocols must be followed in accordance with WAZA standards, the visual evidence validates the position that these directives are ignored in favor of management profit. Furthermore, although you may be unaware of such acquisition procedures, many dolphins are captured during a yearly, epic slaughter in Japan as documented in “The Cove”, a chronicle of the savage and once secretive butchery as inflicted on these decidedly sentient creatures. As such, it is important to recognize that all animals, fundamentally valuable beyond monetary benefit, are being exploited in demonstrably cruel and unnecessary manners.

As such, I demand that WAZA intercede and that Taiji Whale Musuem release the dolphins (Sad and Lonely) back into the wild and close down the smallest tank in the world permanently. Alternatively, WAZA should ensure that, at a minimum, the museum moves Sad and Lonely to bigger sea pens and closes down their small tank permanently. If the Taiji Whale Museum refuses to take action, WAZA should expel them, along with any other aquariums violating WAZA’s stated opposition to the dolphin drive hunts and their code of ethics for captive cetaceans.

I hope you make the compassionate decision to demand that museum discontinue their imprisonment of Sad and Lonely and reject complicity in the unethical industry that profits from their suffering; please extend such an ethical and empathetic gesture.  Thank you for taking the time to read this important message.

NAME

Sad and lonely
Is not how they
Should be
Languishing
In their prison
In taiji
Cetaceans belong
In the seas
With other cetaceans
Swimming, free

Karen Lyons Kalmenson



12 Comments leave one →
  1. Dominique's avatar
    February 23, 2012 10:32 pm

    Oh how awful..ahggg..done ~ sharing

    Like

  2. susiesansbury's avatar
    susiesansbury permalink
    February 24, 2012 12:06 am

    Signed the petition, sent the email, and will fax off a couple of letters from work tomorrow!

    Like

  3. Karen Lyons kalmenson's avatar
    Karen Lyons kalmenson permalink
    February 24, 2012 1:01 am

    Sad and lonely
    Is not how they
    Should be
    Languishing
    In their prison
    In taiji
    Cetaceans belong
    In the seas
    With other cetaceans
    Swimming, free

    Like

  4. Nicole Weber's avatar
    February 24, 2012 8:47 am

    Signed and shared petition, sent email. Very sad that poor dolphins suffer at the hands of humans 😦

    Like

  5. linda badham's avatar
    linda badham permalink
    February 24, 2012 12:43 pm

    HOW CAN ANYONE TAKE TWO WILD ANIMALS AND CLAIM THEY OWN THEM ?? THIS SHOULD BE REGARDED AS STEALING. IT WOULD BE IN MY COUNTRY, AND THEN KEEP THEM CAPTIVE IN A SMALL AREA IS CRUELTY. WHATS WRONG WITH THIS CRAZY SICK WORLD IS THE CRAZY SICK PEOPLE GET AWAY WITH THINGS THEY SHOULDNT. THE UK ISN’T PERFECT BUT WE DO HAVE LAWS TO PROTECT ALL ANIMALS HERE. WE NEED TO PRESSURE THE PEOPLE AND KEEP ON UNTIL THE DOLPHINS ARE FREED OTHERWISE THEY WILL DIE.!

    Like

  6. LoVegan's avatar
    February 24, 2012 3:06 pm

    loredana, You signed on February 17, 2012.
    Letter sent, I share and thank you

    Like

  7. Melanie Matthews's avatar
    Melanie Matthews permalink
    March 9, 2012 1:50 pm

    the latest story in today’s metro about the dophins kept in a wire cage in Turkey has just highlighted again how cruel and inhumane this whole ‘swimming with dolphins’ tourist attraction is. we must put pressure on this and other barbaric practices against the whales nd dolphins until it is recognised worldwide and stopped. We are not perfect in the uk, but we can make changes.

    Like

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