An open letter to the Councillors and Citizens of Broome Western Australia

To the Councillors and citizens of Broome, Australia

My name is Harry and I am 11 years old. I am proud to be Australian because, in Australia, we are very aware about the environment and conservation issues.

 

However, one thing I am not proud about is the relationship between Broome and Taiji Japan. The world is aware that Broome and Taiji are sister cities and this reflects negatively on Australia and our citizens.

 

You will be aware of the thousands of dolphins being slaughtered in Taiji during the hunting season and many other dolphins being sold into a life of captivity.  I am writing to ask you to help stop this barbaric hunt by stopping your partnership with Taiji until they stop this terrible hunt.

 

One of the arguments presented to those of us that fight for the dolphins is that this is “culture” or “tradition”. I would like to make some points about this argument.

 

Firstly, just because something is labelled as being “tradition”, doesn’t make it right. There have been many instances in history that were once “culture” or “tradition”, but we have been educated and learnt from our mistakes. It was once acceptable to keep slaves, and at one time women didn’t have the right to vote. And who can forget the Apartheid in South Africa or the treatment of Australian Indigenous people throughout history? These are just a few examples of humans being cruel and ignorant, but we have learnt from these mistakes and made right our wrongs. The fishermen of Taiji might call the dolphin hunt a “tradition” but it doesn’t make it right.

 

Secondly, how long does an act have to be performed to be classed as “culture” or “tradition”? Let’s consider the sale of helpless dolphins to sea parks for thousands of dollars. This is a fairly recent industry and I would like someone to explain to me how this can be classed as “cultural” or “tradition”. Keeping dolphins as slaves to perform tricks is cruel and inhuman. No wild animal should be treated like this and we have no right to take these animals from their natural environment. This is NOT tradition. This is about money and greed.

 

Finally, if it’s traditional and cultural to eat dolphin, why don’t all the Japanese people consider dolphin food? If you have seen the movie “The Cove” you will have witnessed the shock on people’s faces when asked about eating dolphins. It isn’t considered food so the people were very shocked. Also, if dolphin meat was “traditionally” eaten, why then is it not packaged as dolphin meat? Why it is labelled as something else to hide the real contents?

 

I would like to invite you to reconsider your relationship with Taiji. I do not expect Broome council to tell the people of Taiji what to do but, through your sister relationship with Taiji, you are condoning and accepting the horrible things they do to dolphins. I ask you to suspend your relationship with Taiji to help save the dolphins. Please stand up for what is right and make us all proud of Broome!

 

From Harry

Japan Dolphin Day London Protest!

On the 1^st September hundreds of people gathered at the Japanese Embassy in London to protest about the annual dolphin slaughter in Taiji. We were all armed with whistles, posters loud voices and a passion to stop the inhumane capture and slaughter of thousands of dolphins.

We were all upset at the news that our hero Ric O’Barry had been arrested the previous night and was facing harassment at the hands of the Japanese police. We chanted “Let Ric Out!” When we heard the news, that he had been released, we all celebrated and cheered. You can never hold a great man down!

 

 

On my sign, my dolphin was pleading “Help me, Stop Taiji”. This represents what I think the dolphins, travelling though the waters near Taiji, would be asking of the Japanese officials and the people of the world. The dolphin was asking for help from those at the embassy – to please help stop the terrible slaughter. The Japanese Government need to step up and listen to the dolphin cries and to all of us who know that the annual hunt is wrong. 

 

 

 

“Death” and “Captivity” were also there to show the Japanese officials there aren’t many options for the dolphins of Taiji. They are either sent to a prison in captivity or killed for no reason.

 

 

 

 

The Japanese fishermen would like you to believe that it’s a tradition to slaughter dolphins in the waters near Taiji. We know this isn’t right. But if tradition was a good excuse, it still doesn’t make it right. There have been many traditions over history that have now been stopped because we are now educated and know better. Stop hiding behind “tradition” and do what is right!

 

It was great to see so many supporters of this cause gather together as one, as we fight for what is right. At the moment the dolphins might be crying “Help me Stop Taiji” but maybe one day soon they will be saying “Thank you for stopping Taiji”. Wouldn’t that be great?

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My visit to the Scottish Dolphin Centre

I have recently been to Scotland on holiday. We were close to Spey Bay, so decided to visit the Sottish Dolphin Centre.  The manager, Alison, was very kind and sat down with me for a chat.

The Scottish Dolphin Centre is based in an old fishing building in Spey Bay. It’s been established for 12 years and is a charity that is part of the Whales and Dolphin Conservation. In Moray Firth there are approximately 190 dolphins and these can be viewed in smaller pods of about 5 or 6 dolphins.

At the Scottish Dolphin Centre there are lots of interesting things you can do. One of the most exciting things to use is the wild life cameras to watch for dolphins and other wild life.

You can also learn a lot about dolphins and conservation through all the information boards, activities and talking to the very knowledgeable staff. There are volunteers who speak to visitors about why it’s important to take care of dolphins and our oceans.

You can make a donation and ‘adopt a dolphin’ through SDC. Money from donations goes toward dolphin conservation, campaigning, research and education. If you’d like to help in other ways you could volunteer in the shop, educate others, clean up the beach, or do letter drives – writing letters to important leaders. There are lots of opportunities to help!

I really enjoyed meeting Alison and talking to her about the centre. I asked her what she would like people to know about dolphins, and here are 3 things:

1. They breathe air just like us. They come up to the surface to breathe air.

2. When they need to sleep, only half their brain sleeps. The other half needs to stay alert to make sure they are safe.

3. When a baby dolphin is born, the other dolphins in the pod help the baby dolphin up to the surface.

I asked Alison if she was aware of what is happening in Taiji. She is aware and feels very sad and angry about what happens in Taiji. Bottle nose dolphins are the dolphins that you can view at the Scottish Dolphin Centre and it’s sad to think of all the bottle nose dolphins, and other dolphins, being treated so badly in Taiji.

I had a great time during my visit to the Centre. If you are in the area, I recommend you visit. And it’s FREE! If
you can’t visit, how about making a donation or ‘adopting a dolphin’? Visit the website here

http://www.wdcs.org/connect/wildlife_centre/#.VeID1vZVikp        

Thank you to Alison for making me feel very welcome during my visit. I hope to come back and see you again sometime!

Why should we go to protests?

As lots of you know, I have just moved from a tiny island in Australia to the UK. I am excited about this for lots of reasons. I use the internet and my blog to try and help protect the dolphins and save them from slaughter and a life in captivity. Now that I can, I hope to go to lots of protests so I won’t just be helping online.

Here are few reasons why we should go to protests.

Protests are important because

• They educate people. We can tell people the facts about what is happening and show them that there is a big problem.

• You meet people who think and feel the same as you do.

• You show people that you do care about the issues and are willing to take a stand.

• You work together with others and support each other. Together we are stronger than we are apart.

• You are actively doing something, not waiting around for something to happen.

• They expose what is happening and what the issues are.

• Protests can change the world.

On the 1st of September it’s Japan Dolphins Day 2015. This is the time we stand against the dolphins being killed and captured in Taiji Japan. This year, I’m going to go to the London protest. I hope to see you there!!

 

An open letter to Ellen Degeneres

Dear Ellen,

My name is Harry and I am 11 years old. I am writing to you because I was concerned to see that you are promoting and supporting The Mirage Hotel in Las Vegas.

 

The reason this worries me is because The Mirage keeps dolphins captive and this is cruel and inhumane. I thought that you were an animal lover and would be upset by this as well. I am shocked and sad that you don’t care about these dolphins.

 

On The Mirage website they claim their dolphin habitats are for scientific research and education. There doesn’t seem to be anything educational about what they do with dolphins. They charge people money to do activities with dolphins.

 

A new “experience” they offer is Painting with Dolphins. How is this for research or education? Do dolphins do this in the wild, in their natural habitat? We all know this is wrong and The Mirage are exploiting these animals to make money. Forcing a paintbrush into the mouth of a dolphin is very upsetting. It is cruel to treat animals in this inhumane way.

 

The Mirage also offers paying customers the opportunity to be a “Trainer for a day”. To be a trainer you have to force the dolphins to do silly tricks. The dolphins don’t perform tricks in the wild – I’ve never seen a dolphin in the wild balance a ball on their nose – this is not educational. It is also a well known fact that dolphins are deprived of food to make them do these silly circus tricks. In the wild, dolphins are free to hunt for food whenever they feel like it.

 

Ellen, I would like to know if you think these activities are educational or done for the purpose of research. To me, it sounds like they are doing these things to make money and just telling the public that it’s for education and research.

 

There are lots of documentaries, for example ‘Spy in the Pod’, Blackfish, The Cove and also lots of books that educate us about dolphins. We don’t need to see them or keep them in captivity to learn about them.

 

On their website The Mirage states “Guests see the dolphins in a naturalistic environment, exhibiting natural behaviors”. How is a pool in the middle of a desert a naturalistic environment and how can a dolphin painting be called a natural behavior?  

 

Being someone who says they are an animal lover, I would think you would see that keeping dolphins in captivity and forcing them to do tricks is wrong. You are a big celebrity and lots of people listen to what you say. By promoting The Mirage you are telling the world that you think it’s ok to keep dolphins captive.

 

After seeing you talk about the Cove I thought you were aware of the bigger issue. These dolphins in the Mirage may not come from the Taiji dolphin slaughter, but supporting dolphin habitats and shows contributes to the slaughter. If no one buys a ticket, there is no need to hunt and capture dolphins.

 

I would like to ask you Ellen to stop promoting and supporting The Mirage Hotel. There are lots of other great hotels that you can promote that don’t hurt and mistreat animals.

 

Thank you for reading my letter. We all love dolphins but we don’t need to see them to love. We can love them just as much when they are swimming wild and free.

 

From Harry Morgan

and all the dolphins held prisoner in habitats and parks all over the world.

 

What’s wrong with swim with dolphin programs?

 A little over a week ago, the terrible Taiji season finished for another year. Just because the capture and slaughter has finished, doesn’t mean we stop raising awareness and fighting for dolphins. There are many dolphins suffering in captivity and we need to help them!

 

The World Society of the Protection of Animals says that “53% of newly captured dolphins dies in the first 3 months”. This happens because of stress, unhealthy water and the dolphins being exposed to human infection. These dolphins are dying so that we can be ‘entertained’ and ‘have an amazing dolphin experience’.

 

One very popular way sea parks make their money is through swim with dolphin programs. There are many reasons why a life of captivity is bad for dolphins, (see here and here for reasons), and swim with dolphin programs just add to the list!

 

These ‘encounters’ are often advertised as being educational, where you can ‘shake hands with a dolphin’. Dolphins held in captivity are in an unnatural environment and there is nothing natural for the dolphin (or us) about shaking hands or kissing dolphins for a photo. Education is about learning facts and truths. You can learn a lot more by reading books and researching the internet.

 

It might surprise some uninformed people to know that dolphins are being forced to participate in these swim programs, just like they are being forced to do silly tricks for the public. Trainers deprive the dolphins of food as a way of making them shake hands, jump, balance a ball and kiss. The dolphins have no choice – no trick means no food. The dolphins cannot escape this life, they are prisoners and slaves.

 

Swim with dolphin programs are very stressful for the dolphins as they are being forced to ‘swim’ in shallow water and beach themselves so that paying customers can touch them. This behaviours are not natural for the dolphins and we shouldn’t be abusing them for our entertainment.

 

Please don’t buy a ticket to a dolphins show. This is how we can stop the abuse of animals. If no one goes to the show, there will be no shows!

 Don’t forget to follow me on Twitter @Oceanbluesblog and

like my Facebook page www.facebook.com/oceanbluesblog

And please remember……..

 

Dolphin Project Youth Ambassador

At the end of last year I got a message from Lincoln O’Barry. Everyone knows, I am a big fan of Ric & Lincoln so this was very exciting for me. Lincoln asked if I would like to be a Dolphin Project Youth Ambassador and of course I said YES!

I am so excited and proud to be a spokesperson and honoured to be asked. 

I don’t like to see dolphins suffering or being hunted and will try really hard to get the word out about what is happening in Taiji and marine parks around the world.

I’d like other people, young and old, to join me and spread the word, to help save dolphins and raise awareness of this issue. 

Go to Dolphin Project Youth Ambassadors to meet the other Ambassadors and please spread the word. 

 

 

Australia For Dolphins

Last week, Australia for Dolphins asked me to write a guest blog for their website. If you are in Australia some of you might be aware of the ABC television show Blue Zoo. This program is filmed at the terrible Dolphin Marine Magic in NSW and appears to support captivity rather than ‘teach conservation’. These parks and shows always use the same line ‘we are teaching people about conservation’ but sadly this just isn’t true.

If you would like to read my article you can visit here http://bit.ly/1uaKtgN

Don’t forget to follow me on Twitter- @oceanbluesblog

And here’s my Facebook-  www.facebook.com/oceanbluesblog

A letter to The Today Show Australia

To the producers of The Today Show Australia,

I was upset and disappointed to hear that you are going to be filming at SeaWorld this week. By filming at Sea World you are encouraging people to go there and promoting an unnatural life in captivity for all the animals.

Are you aware that SeaWorld deprives their animals of food as a way of training them to do tricks? Did you know that dolphins in their natural habitat don’t jump through hoops, spin hoops or do other silly tricks?

Did you know that they are only given frozen fish? Dolphins don’t get the chance to eat fresh food. It’s been reported that drugs are put into the frozen fish to stop them getting sick. Dolphins get very sick living outside their natural habitat.

Did you know that the Dolphin Cove at SeaWorld is only 8 meters deep? In the wild dolphins are free to dive, play and hunt as deep as they want. The deepest dive recorded for a Bottlenose dolphin is 300 meters!

By promoting Sea World you are encouraging people to pay to visit dolphins in captivity. You are also encouraging the actions of the fishermen in Taiji Japan. At this time of year the fishermen of Taiji are driving dolphins into The Cove. Sea park trainers come to buy dolphins for up to $150,000. These dolphins are taken away from their families to spend the rest of their life in captivity. The dolphins not chosen are then slaughtered. Their meat is mislabeled as whale meat and it has high and dangerous levels of mercury.

Now, more people are aware of this situation and don’t agree with captivity. The real story is in the increase of this awareness. It is more important for people to be aware of the problems with captivity and the cruelty on the animals. This way we can stop the capture, buying, slaughter and imprisonment of these animals.

Dolphins have the right to be free. Humans have NO right to take away their freedom. Yes we all love dolphins. Sea World claims to love dolphins but the dolphins at Sea World are far from free and are not living like they do in the wild. We don’t need to see them in captivity to love them.

Please think about the dolphins and what is really happening.

And remember….

 

From,

Harry Morgan (Since dolphins can’t talk)

 

Sign the Petition – Stop Captivity now!

For all the dolphins and whales in captivity and dying in Taiji, please take the pledge NOT to buy a ticket to a dolphin show. 

 Please sign the petition to tell Dr.Gerald Dick: Executive Director WAZA that we don’t want to see dolphins and whales in captivity.

Click the link below to sign the petition….

http://dolphinproject.net/take-action/take-the-pledge-not-to-buy-a-ticket-to-a-dolphin-show/?source=direct_link&referrer=ric-obarry

My message to Dr. Gerald Dick….

I am 10 years old. I think it is a crime to take away an animals freedom and hold them prisoner for entertainment. My family and I will never buy a ticket to any marine land, zoo or any place that exploits animals. I will keep fighting and telling everyone about this issue. Young people know what is right and wrong. It’s time adults listen to us! We say NO to captivity!

If you say NO to captivity please sign the petition and don’t buy a ticket. We can save our animals and oceans by working together!