Free Exhibit to Garner Support to Stop Inhumane Slaughter
During the months of September through April, thousands of dolphins are slaughtered in an annual dolphin hunt off the coast of Taiji, Japan. Until recently, the primary method of killing these intelligent, sentient creatures was to slit the dolphins’ throats and allow them to bleed to death. After that practice was banned, the Japanese government sanctioned the “more humane” method of driving metal pins into the dolphins’ necks to sever the brain stem.
According to an academic paper published in 2013 in the Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science titled “A Veterinary and Behavioral Analysis of Dolphin Killing Methods Currently Used in the ‘Drive Hunt’ in Taiji, Japan,” this killing method creates such terror and pain in the mammals that it would be illegal to kill cows in Japan in the same manner.
Following the debut of the Oscar-winning documentary film, The Cove, a large number of activists visited Taiji to protest or film the dolphin hunts. The Taiji fishermen responded by constructing an elaborate structure of tarps to better conceal the drive-hunting activities in and around the cove. Despite the subterfuge, Sea Shepherd Conservation Society (SSCS) has had an ongoing presence of volunteers since 2010 who remain on the grounds in Taiji to document the slaughters throughout the hunt season.
SSCS will be presenting a galley exhibit this weekend, “Taiji Dolphins: The Truth behind the Tarps”, in the Brahms Ballroom at the Encore at Wynn. The exhibit presents photos from the infamous cove in Taiji in the hopes of raising awareness and garnering support to pressure the Japanese government to cease the senseless slaughter. Admission is complimentary.
SEPTEMBER 19-21, 2014
Friday, September 19 10 am – 4 pm
Saturday, September 20 10 am – 8 pm
Sunday, September 21 10 am – 5 pm
Encore at Wynn Las Vegas – Brahms Ballroom
For more information on SSCS CLICK HERE
For Encore CLICK HERE