Captive Dolphins 101

No, this is not an introductory college course on the captive dolphin industry. One hundred and one is the number of dolphins cruelly taken from the wild over a 6-day tragedy in Taiji. I recently wrote to a journalist the following: I know no other cause as worthy of my time as the dolphin cause. It is painful as hell to be a dolphin supporter.

Why is it so painful? When you know that young ones will never see their parents again, your heart breaks. When it happens one hundred and one times, what do you do to mend your broken heart?

To add lasting insult to injury, what do you do when you see the cove turn red because 23 dolphins are being murdered while their family members are swimming nearby, unable to do anything to stop the madness? Again, how do you heal your broken heart?

You write poems. You listen to music. You find joy and laughs when and where you can. And sometimes, you pour your heart out into a blog...

When I was young -- maybe 4 years old, I want to say -- my family and I went to SeaWorld in California. Can I tell you what my favorite memory was going there? It wasn't the show. (And you might argue that's my animal rights activist self re-writing history. No, it's not.)

My favorite memory from that trip to SeaWorld was riding around in a stroller, pushed around by my family. (To be perfectly honest, the simplest things made me happy.)

I would say, if you're a parent or a grandparent, and you're thinking of ways to entertain your children or grandchildren, please -- for the love of dolphins -- do not take them to SeaWorld or any other place where dolphins are held captive, against their will.

Take them to the park. Take them to the mall. Take them to the library. Take them to see a children's theatre production.

But please don't take them to a place that directly or indirectly supports Taiji's captive dolphin trade / slaughter. These places may tell you they oppose drive hunts / drive fisheries; however, by the very nature of holding dolphins in unnatural habitats, the captive dolphin industry fuels what Taiji is doing.

"If you want to know where you would have stood on slavery before the Civil War, don't look at where you stand on slavery today. Look at where you stand on animal rights." -Captain Paul Watson

Let's not forget that captivity is a synonym for slavery.

Please help my broken heart.