The Cove

This is a documentary released in 2009 about the slaughtering of dolphins in a Quasi-National Park in Taiji, Wakayama, in Japan. Activist Ric O’Barry, who used to work on the show Flipper, has been trying to expose Taiji’s actions for years. This film states that 23,000 dolphins are killed every year due to Japan’s whaling industry. The killing of these dolphins takes place in a cove that is surrounded by high cliffs on 3 sides. Some dolphins are bought for entertainment parks for $150,000 each and whichever dolphins are not picked are slaughtered in the cove with spears. Also, dolphin meat is sold to people of Taiji and much of the meat contains extremely high levels of mercury. The meat is also a part of the school lunch program in Taiji. The Taiji government is doing all it can in order to cover up this issue, including paying other countries to back them on this issue.

O’Barry’s goal is to expose the killings and spread the word of what is happening in Taiji. He has a lot of help from others to document and gather evidence of the killings. His team camouflaged cameras in fake rocks and places them all around the cove area to collect proof. The footage they captured is quite disturbing, yet incredibly eye opening and reveals Taiji’s biggest secret. This film is intriguing the entire time it is being watched and can inspire people to do something about this issue. O’Barry’s team took major risks in all that they did to make this film and it shows how time and dedication to an issue can bring about change. Find out how to help by visiting the website: TakePart.com/TheCove

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