Dolphinariums and dolphin drives

Recently visited the Taiji Whale Museum in Wakayama prefecture, Japan.

Taiji Whale Museum

This is an "entertainment" facility that show the history of whale hunting, methods of hunting over the ages, various whale skeletons, there are also captive false killer whales, a single killer whale, Risso's dolphins and short finned pilot whales. Also what is on offer is a dolphin petting experience using a female bottle nosed dolphin.

Risso's Dolphin at the Taiji Whale Museum

There is an educational aspect to the "museum" in that tourists are able to see and have a positive experience with these various cetaceans. However at what cost... there is a darker side to Taiji and it's Whale Museum.

Many people will be familiar with or heard about Dolphin drives in Japan and the brutal nature of the slaughter (check out the following website Click HERE) Actually the Taiji Whale Museum has been implicated in these hunts. A certain percentage from the hunts are taken aside by the Taiji Whale museum to provide for the dolphin petting experience or to provide live cetaceans to Oceanariums worldwide.

Ocean Park, Hong Kong has done some studies into Mainland Chinese oceanariums/dolphinariums and where they source their dolphins and I have sent an enquiry to them for some information.

Taiji Whale Museum and any oceanarium that sources from this brutal slaughter are to be avoided at all costs.

Of course this brings the bigger question of whether we should have dolphins and other cetaceans in captivity at all.