Letters needed to stop DAT in Japan

[Guest guest]

Ffrom Elsa Nature Conservancy, Japan

 

DATE:April 6, 2004

 

Action Alert:

 

Please write a letter to the Mayor of Sanuki City to

revoke a permit he issued to an organization that

promotes dolphin-assisted therapy.

 

Background:

 

Sanuki City, located about 500 km southwest from Tokyo

in Kagawa prefecture, planned to proceed with a

" dolphin healing center " project using dolphins from

the drive fishery in Taiji. The City built facilities

for that purpose and started an " experiment " to

determine whether dolphins can survive in the poor

environment used by the " healing " business. ASK Japan

Corporation (ASK Japan), the owner of the dolphins,

entrusted by Sanuki City, cared for the dolphins. Two

out of five dolphins already died last year because

the environment where the facilities are located is

not suitable for dolphins' health.

 

After receiving strong worldwide protests and

petitions, the Mayor of the City decided to stop the

project and not include it in the budget for the next

fiscal year. Working with more than 40 worldwide

organizations and nearly a thousand individuals, we

urged the Mayor to close down the facilities.

 

Update:

 

1)When the Mayor decided to withdraw from the

" healing " business, he made it clear that one of the

reasons he stopped the project was due to the poor

environment for the dolphins; he was also informed

about the cruelty involved with the drive fishery.

Unfortunately, the Mayor decided to lease the

facilities to continue the dolphin business, giving

Japan Dolphin Assisted Therapy Association (JDAT) a

permit to use the facilities.

 

2) JDAT and ASK Japan began working together to

purchase a four-to-five-year-old male dolphin caught

by the drive fishery in Taiji. On March 26, 2004, the

dolphin was moved to Sanuki and put into a special sea

pen there.

 

3) On April 1, 2004 JDAT and ASK Japan started their

new dolphin business using Sanuki's facilities which

they newly named " Dolphin Center. " They display

dolphins to visitors and also carry out Dolphin

Feeding and Dolphin Assisted Therapy for autistic

children.

 

4) They plan to build new facilities (budget of 30

million yen) near the present facilities so they can

expand the dolphin " business " into the winter season.

 

***** Please send an E-mail or fax to:

 

Mr. Shinya Akazawa, Mayor of Sanuki City

5385-8, Shido, Sanuki-shi, Kagawa-ken,

769-2195 Japan

E-mail: hisyo

Fax: +81-87-894-4440

 

***** If you are too busy to write a letter on this

issue, please sign on to the following letter. We

would be very grateful if you would write your own

letter, short or long, and sign on to our joint

petition as well.

 

Thank you for your cooperation.

Sakae Hemmi, of Marine Mammal Project

Elsa Nature Conservancy, Japan

P.O.Box 2, Tsukuba Gakuen Post Office

Tsukuba-shi, Ibaraki-ken, 305-8691 Japan

Tel & Fax: +81-29-851-1637

E-mail & #65306;pah03724

 

***********

 

Mr. Shinya Akazawa, Mayor of Sanuki City

5385-8, Shido, Sanuki-shi, Kagawa-ken,

769-2195 Japan

E-mail: hisyo

Fax: +81-87-894-4440

 

Dear Mr. Shinya Akazawa,

 

Please revoke the permit to use City facilities for

dolphin business.

 

We, the undersigned, urge you to revoke the permit to

use or lease Sanuki facilities for dolphin display and

business.

 

When Sanuki City decided to stop the " Dolphin Healing

Center " project and not include it in the 2004 fiscal

year budget one of the reasons was that the Seto

Inland Sea, where the facilities are located, is not

suitable for the dolphins' health. We applauded your

decision, and expected that Sanuki City would begin an

administration that shows kind consideration to wild

animals.

 

You understood that the environment at this location

is very poor for dolphins causing stress and health

problems. You were already aware of how the dolphins

were cruelly captured and the trauma and suffering

they experienced being caught in the drive fishery.

Despite this, you have decided to continue to support

the dolphin " healing " business by leasing City

facilities to Japan Dolphin Assisted Therapy

Association.

 

You declared, evading responsibility, that Sanuki City

would not participate in this matter. However, Sanuki

City is directly participating by leasing City

property for this business. As Mayor of the City, you

are responsible for business carried out in City

facilities. You cannot evade, shift responsibility, or

deny your direct involvement and support of this

cruel, unnecessary business. Issuing a permit to use

dolphins in City facilities shows that you actively

support and join the animal-abusive business.

 

As you know, dolphins in the facilities were and will

be supplied from the drive fishery. This means that

you supported and will continue to support the

cruelest capture that will likely sharply decrease to

extinction the number of dolphins around the Japanese

Sea. You should realize that your decision and action

to allow this business in Sanuki directly contributes

to the destruction of the ecosystem and aggravates the

natural environmental balance.

 

We strongly urge you to revoke the permit and work to

stop the dolphin business immediately. We look forward

to your reply.

 

Sincerely,

(signatories)

 

 

 

 

 

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