Ric O Coy's Dolphin Project Analysis

It has now been eight years since the Oscar-winning film ‘The Cove’ sent the small, isolated community of Taiji into the midst of an ever-growing controversial debate surrounding the slaughter of 2047 dolphins and the captivity of 58 dolphins for human entertainment over the past year. The cove, surrounded by rocky shoreline was once the perfect hiding spot to keep prying eyes away, but it could only stay hidden for so long as people started to wonder why during the months of September through February, the waters ran a deep crimson red. The newly named dolphin slaughterhouse within the heart of Taiji, Japan grabbed the attention of wildlife conservation groups such as Ric O’Barry’s Dolphin Project, Sea Shepherd, and the general public worldwide.
Throughout this essay, I will be exploring the ways in which faith, ethics, and ideologies have a significant impact on various perspectives at a global, local, and personal level. I will do this by analyzing the political, social and economic aspects of the issue in order to uncover the influences for actions of such stakeholders.
Analysing the issue on a global scale includes looking at the perspectives of a single stakeholder: that of a Wildlife Conservation Groups’. Ric O’ Barry’s Dolphin project is a single example of a conservation group in which holds the view that the slaughter and capture of dolphins themselves are wrong. Ethically, they believe that the fisherman’s methods of killing are outdated, senseless, and unnecessarily cruel. It is plainly stated in the film they produced entitled ‘The Cove’, that “This is not
Put simply, the ever-widening gap between the global animal rights movements and local traditions immersed in ancestor devotion and religion can only make matters worse. Whilst some may argue that the practice of whaling would have been abolished years ago, if not for Japan wanting to prove it is not easily swayed, during 2015 the Japanese Association of Zoos and Aquariums banned the buying and selling of dolphins from the annual hunt - after receiving protest from the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums. However looking to the future, there are things we can do to help. Not only by raising awareness and educating others of the issue can we end the slaughter and captivity of these beautiful creatures in Taiji, but by also saying no to buying tickets for dolphin shows, dolphin interactions, and aquariums, we can end the suffering of dolphins around the world for