Great Video From Save Japan Dolphin Day, 2011

Thanks to our friends at Save Misty the Dolphin! They have put together a great video showing pics from events all over the world held on September 1st for Save/Celebrate Japan Dolphin Day.
Detroit is represented in the first (yahoo!) pic, and also at about 3:15 (with the large red banner). Check it out!

You can also check out Save Misty the Dolphin's blog/webpage here! (they are on blogger!) You can also search for them if you are on Facebook, by putting "Save Misty the Dolphin" right into the search bar.

Until Next Time.....

And So It Starts......

This week starts the trial of SeaWorld vs. OSHA, resulting from the death of trainer Dawn Brancheau last year. After Brancheau's death, the park was issued 3 citations and fined $75,000. (Mike Schneider, www.bostonglobe.com). The trial is scheduled to last all week, with a ruling from the Judge to come about 10 days after the end of the trial. 

In addition, according to OSHA's website (www.osha.gov) it was stated that, "In addition to the history with this whale, the OSHA investigation revealed that SeaWorld trainers had an extensive history of unexpected and potentially dangerous incidents involving killer whales at its various facilities, including its location in Orlando. Despite this record, management failed to make meaningful changes to improve the safety of the work environment for its employees". You can find the full link to the article talking about OSHA's citations against SeaWorld, here. 
 
So many news articles are coming out about the trial this week, it's hard to keep up. Experts on news channels talking about whale behavior... people talking about pros and cons about captivity. In my own opinion, since this is my blog, this is how I feel.

Captivity kills. It's as simple as that. Captivity kills whales and dolphins, because research has shown that captive sea animals such as these large animals live a much shorter life span than their non-captive family and friends. Those whales and dolphins who are in the wild live a life that is double, if not MORE than that of one that is in captivity.
Captivity also kills humans. It's a sad fact that this is not the first time a human has been killed by a orca, or another wild, captive animal. And, even worse- it won't be the last. In fact, for Tilly, the whale that was involved in Brancheau's death- this was his 3rd death of a HUMAN that he was involved in. THIRD.

So, I guess what we really need to ask ourselves is this.... How many more dolphins, whales, and HUMANS need to die before we see the light that captivity isn't the answer?
My heart goes out to Dawn's family during this difficult time. I'm sure reliving the time of her tragic accident is not going to be easy for them.
SeaWorld, shame on you. Shame on you for not only holding animals captive, but for allowing yet another death to occur. This time, a human life was lost.

R.I.P. Dawn Brancheau

If you would like to see the copy of Brancheau's autopsy's report, please click here, thanks to autopsyfiles.org.


Until Next Time....

Playmobil Teaches Captivity to the Most Captive Audience

So, I'm walking through a well known toy store chain the other day, and I am looking through the "educational science section" and BAM... I see it on the shelves, and I almost fall over. I can't even believe what I'm seeing! It's actually a toy, where kids can play "captivity"! The set comes compete with 2 "happy" dolphins, a trainer and her hoop, and some dead plastic fish treats. Sick!

I stared at this thing for a good 15 minutes. Here's a closer pic of the trainer with her dead fish treats.

Not knowing what to do, and being alone in the store, I did the only thing I could think of at the time. I took the 3 boxes off the shelf, and hid them in the store, hoping some kid wouldn't find them. It just made me sick to my stomach. If I had a child with me, my actions would have been different. I would have discussed the toy with the child- but being alone, I just felt sickened.

Upon coming home, I did a little research on "Playmobil". I came to find out that although this particular store only carrier this one box, the maker actually has quite a few sets of dolphin/trainer/captivity toys. There's one with just a trainer/hoop/ and a dolphin... one that's a bit more elaborate, called a "dolphin zoo" that you can even fill with water. To see the images of these toys, I suggest going to either Amazon or Google Images, and just typing in the words "Playmobil dolphin" together. The toy images should pop up.

I am urging you, and others who feel like you do, to please join me in contacting Playmobil. Please ask them to remove these toys from their shelves, as it teaches children from a very young age that captivity is okay... and even a happy thing. Take a close look at the toy... the trainers, the dolphins, and even the dolphin on the flag on have on that smile... the look that dolphins have, that makes them appear as though they are always happy. How about a playset for children with marine animals in their natural habitat? That would be a LOT more educational, could include more animals, and wouldn't be teaching our young ones that captivity is a happy place for dolphins to live.

Children are our most captive audience.
Their minds are like sea sponges, soaking up knowledge.
Let's teach them early about sea life captivity, and how in the end, the best homes for dolphins are in the ocean.

Contact info for Playmobile is:

Address:	Playmobil Malta Ltd. HF80, Industrial Estate, Hal Far, BBG 3000, Malta, EU.
Telephone:	(+356) 2224 2445
Email:	info@playmobilmalta.com

Until Next Time......

Save/Celebrate Japan Dolphin Day, 2011- Detroit.

Words can't describe my feelings after today.

Driven- my drive to continue this fight has only just begun.

Supported- the community of friends I have made in the dolphin community who share the same love I do is amazing. I can't thank these individuals enough. There was so much support from all the event coordinators all around the world in planning the events for today, it was amazing. Also, all the amazing organizations around the globe who are out there every single day offering us and the dolphins support-from the folks at Save Misty the Dolphin, Save Japan Dolphins, Earth Island Institute, Sea Shepherd and the World Animal Awareness Society (especially the WA2S-MI)- today would not have been possible.

Sad, yet more so Anger- I know today marked the first day of yet another hunting season for dolphins in Taiji, Japan.

Proud- Of every single person who stood up today in Detroit for the dolphins. And everyone who was with us in spirit, due to circumstances that prevented you from being at today's event. I got emails from people saying they were wearing their shirts at work, school or wherever they were today with pride- informing people of the Cove. YOU are our heroes. Continue to educate yourself. Continue to educate others. Our fight isn't over, and it won't be until the water in the Cove runs clear. But you, my dolphin loving friends... pat yourself on the backs. Awesome job. Look for some sweet links coming soon as pics/video/radio links start to filter in.

For the dolphins!

Until next time.... I will leave you with a few pics from today.

3 DAYS

WILL YOU BE THERE?

 LET'S

 DO

THIS.

SEPTEMBER 1, 2011.

CELEBRATE JAPAN DOLPHIN DAY.

ALL AROUND THE WORLD. ONE DAY. 

ARE YOU READY?

to find a location near you, click here.

Save/Celebrate Japan Dolphin Day- Detroit, Michigan 2011

As Promised, here are all the details for the Detroit, MI event for "Save/Celebrate Japan Dolphin Day" 2011. :)

September 1, 2011 is the start of the Taiji Dolphin Hunt. During the 2010-2011 drive hunt, the Taiji Fisheries Union killed 850 dolphins. An additional 171 were sold into captivity.

In keeping with city ordinances, we will meet-up at the MARINERS' CHURCH OF DETROIT & then march along the block in front of the Consulate of Japan (which is inside the Renaissance Center) from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. W...e will continue to walk along E.Jefferson Ave, in one big loop. Please look at the map below to see how how E. Jefferson runs in a loop. We will be sticking to sidewalks, and not walking in roadways (city ordinance). If you arrive after 11:00, please just walk along E. Jefferson, and I'm sure you will see the group with all the signs! We will stick close to the general area of the church and the Renaissance Center (400 Renaissance Center, Detroit MI- Right next door to the Church.) Please remember, although this is where the Consulate is, you MAY NOT be on this property. It is not city owned property, it is owned by General Motors.) Please, do NOT set up and wait for our group there! It is our Constitutional Right to rally, on City owned property. :)

The MARINERS’ CHURCH of DETROIT is located at:
170 E. Jefferson Ave.
Detroit, MI 48226
*PLEASE DO NOT PARK IN THE CHURCH PARKING LOT*
There is a parking garage located across the street from the Church, with entrance located off E. Jefferson. I believe it is a paid lot. As far as parking on the street, many streets will be closed, due to the Detroit Jazz Festival which starts the day after.

Please use this link for directions to the church, parking garage, and a great view of the overall E.Jefferson route. You can also see how close we will be to the Renaissance Center- even though we can't be on the property! :) (it's literally RIGHT next door!) 

We will then marching together around the block of the General Consulate of Japan. Our message is simple: JAPAN, LET THE DOLPHINS LIVE & BE FREE!!!

This will be a peaceful protest. Please bring signs, and wear any "Save/Celebrate Japan Dolphin" shirts. Other ideas include Sea Shepperd gear! EcoJoia has made shirts for this occasion- please look for the link below.
EcoJoia T-Shirts for Save Japan Dolphin Day! (Mens)  
EcoJoia T-Shirts for Save Japan Dolphin Day! (Womens)  

To R.S.V.P. for this event, please reply to this post, and I will hook you up! If you are looking for an event in a State or Country near you (because we will be having events ALL over the world, on the same day) please check out this link provided by Save Japan Dolphins! Google Interactive Map of All Save Japan Dolphin Day Events


Lastly, please check out this video, from Save Japan Dolphins- Leilani Munter shares the importance of supporting Save Japan Dolphins, Earth Island Institute, and what exactly the money goes towards. Well, hopefully I will see you out there on September 1st! Look for more updates before then! It's been a long road of planning, sign making, paperwork filing, advocating... but we are almost there. Let's do this for the dolphins!

Getting Ready to Make Signs! Save/Celebrate Japan Dolphin Day!

Wanted to document the process as I go along.. gotta start with a clean slate!
Getting ready to make signs for our rally on September 1st, 2011 in Downtown Detroit for Save/Celebrate Japan Dolphin Day! This year, the focus in to stay positive, as the Japanese people have been through so much this year- but to still focus on the task at hand; which is to get information out to the public and to the Japanese Consulates around the world that we (the people) will not tolerate what is being done in Taiji, and other parts of the world. Captivity kills. Slaughter is not okay. And, we will not stop fighting till it ends.
I am the event coordinator for things happening here in Detroit. I will be posting the where, when, and what of the event here. But, I will also post links for those of you who want to participate in an event near you- because there are events happening all over the world, on the same day. We must stand together, and show that we are one voice, and be that voice for the dolphins. Enjoy the pics of my journey along the way.. and see you on September 1st.

 First, you need to gather all your materials!

 Paintbrushes of all different sizes work very well!

 I got black, red, and blue paint. I wanted black mainly for font, blue for water and whales/dolphins, and red for blood if needed. I can also use red for font too. I don't want to use too much blood. Too graphic.

This is a poster I made from last year. I used stenciled letters- but remember- letters don't have to be perfect! I have a kids poster, and I'll post a pic of it later. It's awesome, and I think it will get the point across GREAT. Make your signs SHORT, and TO THE POINT.

Until next time.... when I hopefully have some finished products to display!!!!

New Petition on Blog!

Please make sure and sign the new petition, located on the bottom left hand side of the blog (with the red top and bottom headers). This petition is vital, because it is one that was created by "Save Misty the Dolphin", and will be used when we all rally together on September 1st for Save/Celebrate Japan Dolphin Day. This petition may be used to be delivered to one central location,  but there has also been talk about making it available to all event coordinators- I am the event coordinator for Detroit, so I would be very happy to deliver a copy of the petition to the Japanese Consulate here. I will let you know the status on that once we here more. The important thing is, is that people sign, sign, sign it!!! Thanks everyone! And, you may be wondering just what is "Save/Celebrate Japan Dolphin Day?" Well? Stay tuned... the next post will have all that info for you... and specifics if you are coming for the Detroit event!

Until next time.....

How Does Sea Shepherd Help Out in Taiji, Japan? Check it Out!

People have recently been asking me if Sea Shepherd is involved with efforts in the Cove. Many people have seen the show, "Whale Wars", (you can find the link to their show HERE.) Additionally, Sea Shepherd, (Sea Shepherd Conservation Society) has had much involvement in helping to stop what is occurring in Taiji, Japan. Members act as "cove guardians" to help protect and watch over the cove. They have an awesome website setup, with all of their updates of whats going on in the Cove and their efforts- I encourage everyone to check it out. Here's a video from Captain Paul Watson, President of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. You can also check out their website: http://www.seashepherd.org/ 

Until Next Time.... Details about "Celebrate Japan Dolphin Day" to be posted next! Mark your calendars for this International event, occurring September 1, 2011!

Pretty Awesome Video, Check it Out!

I found this video to be pretty awesome. It's about what one of National Geographic's underwater photographers, Brian Skerry, has to say about his discoveries about the ocean. Check it out, his photos are amazing!


Until Next Time....

Shouka the Orca

This video was taken on 6-3-11 at Six Flags Theme park. It sickens me that this is a tank that a whale spends ANY amount of time in- and then fact that it could be an extended part of a whale's day is even worse.
You NEED to see the size of this tank. It doens't even look as if the whale could turn around?
This video was NOT taken by me, it was one that I came across while searching on you tube for videos.

Until Next Time....

Bob Barker Says....

Bob Barker Says.....

NO to $eaWorld! Check It Out!

Check out the website, here!


Until next time.....