A Voice for Dolphins's topics - tribe.net

IWC meets June 23-27, 08 Santiago Chile

Gina — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 07:58:57 GMT

the International Whaling Comission meets this month. it is a coalition of many country members that have one representative. We hope Whales will get protection, but we also hope Dolphins get protection too. They will be discussed after the Whales are discussed, as they are in a different subcategory.
for more info on IWC visit IWC.org
let's hope for the best for the Dolphins!

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dolphin miracale??

Gina — Fri, 09 May 2008 23:00:43 GMT

I have observed and experienced the effects of dolphin healing both in and out of the water. But just the other day I was at Sea World interacting with the dolphins there through the see through glass and I didn't feel very well. 2 of the dolphins displayed the same behavior. they were like floating but standing on their tales they were underwater and staring at me, as they were facing me. They had bubbles coming out of their blowholes too. they did this quite a bit maybe over a 30 minute period. A few hours later when I got home I ate and I felt all better. Sure I was happy to see them, but...............................
Is it possible that their ecolocation abilities are so strong that it could have penetrated through the glass?? I don't know, but it's an interesting theory.

posted in A Voice for Dolphins - 1 reply

Dolphin hunt sags amid mercury fears

Emily — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 05:16:58 GMT

By JOSEPH COLEMAN
updated 2:09 p.m. PT, Wed., Jan. 30, 2008

TAIJI, Japan - Every autumn and winter, hunters from this craggy Japanese fishing village corral thousands of dolphins into a tiny, isolated cove and kill them for meat and fertilizer, turning the water red with their blood.

And every year, foreign animal rights protesters converge on the town, interfering with the slaughter, clashing with fishermen and broadcasting grisly photographs of the slayings around the world _ all without stopping the hunt.

Now, Japan's dolphin hunters face a new, powerful opponent: mercury contamination.

A series of scientific studies in recent years in Japan have documented high levels of the toxic heavy metal in dolphin meat, and a group of city councilmen in Taiji launched an unprecedented campaign against the hunt several months ago after doing their own tests.

A leading regional supermarket chain has pulled dolphin from its shelves over the health concerns, and hunt critics in the town say villagers are shunning it. Meat from pilot whales _ a type of dolphin _ was taken off local school lunch menus in October.

"The mayor says we've caused 100 million yen ($1 million) in damages to the industry, but I don't know how that's calculated," said Junichiro Yamashita, a city councilman spearheading the anti-hunt movement. "They say the business is important for Taiji, but we say that health is more important."

Indeed, while animal rights arguments against the hunt have fallen on deaf ears in Japan, the threat of mercury contamination strikes a chord in a country where food safety is rapidly becoming a paramount public concern.

Though no mercury poisoning cases from dolphin meat have been publicly documented in Taiji, such contamination resonates loudly in Japan, where thousands were killed or crippled by mercury poisoning in Minamata in the 1950s and 60s. The poisoning was triggered by massive dumping of industrial mercury into the fishing grounds around the village in southern Japan.

Taiji is one of several Japanese villages where dolphins are hunted. The town this season has a nationally set quota of 3,015, of a total national quota of nearly 21,000. The actual take tends to be about 30 percent lower than the quota, depending on demand for the meat.

While other villages usually harpoon their quarry out at sea, the particularly bloody killing methods in Taiji have made the town a focal point of animal rights activists worldwide.

The village resents the attention and accuses outsiders of interfering with a hunting tradition of hundreds of years. Standoffs between protesters and hunters quickly boil over into arguments and threats. The town erects barriers and hangs tarps to block activists from photographing the kill, and daily hunts can be canceled if foreigners are seen in town.

"No thank you," said an official at the fisheries union when approached for comment on the hunt. "You've come at a bad time."

The recent findings on mercury levels, however, have given pause to many would-be consumers.

Tetsuya Endo, a researcher at the Health Sciences University of Hokkaido, in northern Japan, has co-authored numerous studies showing dolphin meat can contain mercury at concentrations many times higher than the 0.4 parts per million allowed by the Japanese government for many types of fish.

The highest concentration he has found so far was 100 parts per million from a bottlenose dolphin _ a species whose meat is butchered in Taiji.

"This ought to be investigated," Endo said, calling for a government probe into the dangers of eating dolphin. "There are people who eat it a lot, and those people could be suffering health effects."

The threat of mercury contamination, however, failed to cause a stir in this isolated village until Yamashita, irked by the town's plans to build a $3 million dolphin slaughterhouse and spread the use of local dolphin meat in school lunches, decided with allies to conduct their own probe.

The results on tests of three locally bought pieces of dolphin meat at a government-run lab confirm their fears, he said.

The pieces of meat taken from pilot whales were all many times the 0.4 parts per million threshold. One piece logged 11 parts per million of mercury, and 2.6 parts per million of PCBs, an industrial pollutant that Japanese regulations limit to 0.5.

Yamashita and his allies announced the results in a handout distributed with local newspapers, and he expanded his crusade by appearing at a news conference in Tokyo for foreign reporters _ a move that angered village elders and hunters.

"They said that if dolphin hunting disappears, then Taiji will disappear, but I say it's important to look at developing other industries," he said. "They're upset that I showed this to the outside world."

The anti-hunt movement, however, faces substantial hurdles.

The Taiji leadership _ only three of 10 councilmen oppose the hunt _ is clinging to plans for the new slaughterhouse, counting on sales of dolphin meat outside the region, where the mercury concerns have not spread because of lack of national media attention. Captured dolphins are also sold to dolphin aquariums in Japan and abroad, at substantial profit.

Taiji has powerful contacts at the national level. Lawmaker Toshihiro Nikai, a top executive of the long-ruling Liberal Democratic Party, is a native of the prefecture where Taiji is located, and he recently visited the village. Campaign posters of him can be seen around town.

Tokyo _ which is also battling international protesters over its whaling program on the high seas _ is not getting involved in the dolphin dispute, despite a Health Ministry survey in 2003 confirming high levels of mercury in the mammals. The Fisheries Agency in 2005 upgraded a 2-year-old advisory to urge pregnant women not to eat dolphin more than once every two months.

In any case, the 0.4 parts per million limit on mercury does not apply to dolphin meat, and there are no plans to strengthen the guidelines, officials said.

"We are aware that mercury content is particularly high in dolphins," said Yuichiro Ejima, a food safety official at the Health Ministry. "But ... most Japanese seldom eat the meat, except in some areas where dolphins are caught traditionally."

___

Associated Press writer Mari Yamaguchi in Tokyo contributed to this report.

posted in A Voice for Dolphins - 2 replies

Dolphin class-Escondido; Ca. San Diego

Gina — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 07:14:20 GMT

I will be giving a class on dolphins: their physiology, healing capabilities and the messages they have given me while swimming with them numerous times. Sure to be fun and spiritual. We will see pictures and watch a Joan Ocean film. Free gift for all and a free raffle for a dolphin basket.
Date: Friday October 5, 2007
Time: 7-9 p.m.
Location: Philosophical Library
2091 East Valley Parkway Suite D
Escondido; Ca. 92027
(760) 745-2724
Hope to see you there!!

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The "Baiji" Yangtzee river dolphin goes extinct

Gina — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 02:15:26 GMT

This is so sad to report that the 80 dolphins left in the Yangtzee River in China have gone extinct because of pollution and building on the river. This was a pink freshwater dolphin that looked truly unique with a longer rostrum (beak) and rounder Melon (forehead). Efforts to save the species were in vain. There is only one left in captivity his name is Qi Qi efforts in the past to try to breed him with another dolphin of his kind proved unsuccessful.
Now the cousions the "Boto" are grey river dolphins in the Amazon are the only group left like this living in freshwater. They too are currently threatened as well.

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5/27 Worldwide Water Whale Meditaton

Emily — Sun, 27 May 2007 05:35:20 GMT

You’re invited to join the Worldwide Water/Whale Wave Meditation

Barbara Adams and The World Grace Foundation: a “Heaven-on-Earth” project ( www.WorldGraceFoundation.org ) in conjunction with Mary J. Getten, whale naturalist, animal communicator and author of Communicating with Orcas ( www.marygetten.com )

Along with other groups from Europe, South America, South Africa (including Celia Fenn's Starchild Global, www.starchildglobal.com ), and around the world are holding the annual moment in time to focus on sending light for the restoration of the earth’s waters while in meditation with the whales.

This project started in the waters of USA's Pacific Northwest islands. Positive shifts in water quality and whale protection policies were noted after past meditations. And, Mary received direct communication from the whales for us to do more of this.

Please join us to help the momentum grow and continue!

When: Sunday, May 27th, 2007, Concentrating the effort between 7 a.m. to 10 a.m in your time zone, creating a continuous wave of meditators across the earth. Even a few minutes of your love during this time can make a large difference.

How: Choose any method (see ideas below) that you know works for you, or create your own, and thank you for adding your energy.

Where: Get to any natural body of water during this time (wells, rivers, streams, ponds, lakes, sea beaches) and offer your energy/blessing. If you are already worshipping indoors at that time, bring a small vessel of water to your service to bless quietly yourself during the service, or by the group, to be released as soon as possible after the service by yourself, the minister/group leader, or another volunteer into natural water channels.

Reiki and other forms of energy healing of the water

Distant energy healing of the water

Tuning in to the frequency of the whales

Offering the lost mode of prayer* (aka, The Secret) to the water by feeling it already pristine and restored to beautiful life (see below for more on this method)

Charging or blessing a tiny amount of clean distilled water and releasing this into an open natural body of water for a rippling effect across the planet (make sure this is allowed in your area)

Casting spells of love and healing

Working with the elementals

Offering healing prayers

And/or calling forth angels to assist in our choice for the waters of heaven on earth.

*To participate using the lost mode of prayer - be at peace with all the possibilities (even pollution) playing itself out here right now, knowing the choice of purity is already in existence and can replace the current reality at any time. The current reality is not permanent. Acknowledge it as just a short-term drama with which we are experimenting. Think of another more pristine and heaven-like possibility, and during at least part of those three specified hours, imagine and FEEL what it would be like if it were here -- The whales and dolphins sing with joy. Their home is an underwater paradise of life and filled with abundant food for all. The water is clean and clear, the beaches are lovely and beautiful because we live in a world where everyone, everywhere, takes loving care of the earth and its waters. We are a human family working together side by side with Gaia. What does it feel like to live in this world? Offer that feeling to the universe. By doing this, you have just 'placed an order,' or opened up a doorway in which the universe can ignite a new possibility. Be grateful that this possibility is becoming a reality. Then go about your day.

This is an Interfaith Crossroads event initiated by the World Grace Foundation , co-directed by Kipp Davis and Barbara Adams, spiritual healer, and hostess of the Center for the Micro Eco-Farming Movement.

www.starchildglobal.com

posted in A Voice for Dolphins - 1 reply

Dolphins & Sea lions for military in Seattle

Emily — Wed, 14 Feb 2007 03:36:49 GMT

THOMAS WATKINS, Associated Press Writer
Mon Feb 12, 11:04 PM ET

SAN DIEGO - Dozens of dolphins and sea lions trained to detect and apprehend waterborne attackers could be sent to patrol a military base in Washington state, the Navy said Monday. In a notice published in this week's Federal Register, the Navy said it needs to bolster security at Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor, on the Puget Sound close to Seattle.

The base is home to submarines, ships and laboratories and is potentially vulnerable to attack by terrorist swimmers and scuba divers, the notice states.

Several options are under consideration, but the preferred plan would be to send as many as 30 California sea lions and Atlantic Bottlenose dolphins from the Navy's Marine Mammal Program, based in San Diego.

"These animals have the capabilities for what needs to be done for this particular mission," said Tom LaPuzza, a spokesman for the Marine Mammal Program.

LaPuzza said that because of their astonishing sonar abilities, dolphins are excellent at patrolling for swimmers and divers. When a Navy dolphin detects a person in the water, it drops a beacon. This tells a human interception team where to find the suspicious swimmer.

Dolphins also are trained to detect underwater mines; they were sent to do this in the Iraqi harbor of Umm Qasr in 2003. The last time the animals were used operationally in San Diego was in 1996, when they patrolled the bay during the Republican National Convention.

Sea lions can carry in their mouths special cuffs attached to long ropes. If the animal finds a rogue swimmer, it can clamp the cuff around the person's leg. The individual can then be reeled in for questioning.

The Navy is seeking public comment for an environmental impact statement on the proposal.

The Navy wanted to deploy marine animals to the Northwest in 1989, LaPuzza said, but a federal judge sided with animal-rights activists concerned about the effects of cooler water, as well as how the creatures would affect the environment. Water in the Puget Sound is about 10 degrees cooler than in San Diego Harbor, which has an average temperature of about 58 degrees, LaPuzza said.

Since then, the Navy has taken the dolphins and sea lions to cold-water places like Alaska and Scandinavia to see how they cope.

"They did very well," LaPuzza said. If the animals are sent to Washington, the dolphins would be housed in heated enclosures and would patrol the bay only for periods of about two hours.

Stephanie Boyles, a marine biologist and spokeswoman for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, said that sea mammals do not provide a reliable defense system, and that they should not be kept in small enclosures.

"We believe the United States' citizens deserve the very best defense possible, and this just isn't it," Boyles said, adding that dolphins are easily distracted once in open water. "They don't understand the consequences of what will happen if they don't carry out the mission."

Dolphins can live as long as 30 years. LaPuzza said the Navy occasionally gives its retired animals to marine parks but generally keeps them until they die of old age.

The Navy has been training marine mammals since the 1960s and keeps about 100 dolphins and sea lions. Most are in San Diego, but about 20 are deployed at Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay, Ga.

The Navy hopes eventually to downsize its marine mammal program and replace the animals with machines.

"But the technology just isn't there yet," LaPuzza said. "The value of the marine mammals is we've been doing this for 35 years, and we've ironed out all the kinks."

posted in A Voice for Dolphins - 2 replies

Hello AVFD tribe

Tue, 26 Dec 2006 01:40:08 GMT

Hello all. I was drawn to this tribe because I'd like to be a voice for dolphins. Ever since I visited dolphins in Sea World in 2002, I have dedicated my spirit to better understanding these wonderful creatures.
I do my part to sign petitions to protect cetaceans.
regards,
Michael.

posted in A Voice for Dolphins - 4 replies

MAJOR JAPANESE SUPERMARKET CHAIN PERMANENTLY BANS ALL SALE OF DOLPHIN MEAT

Emily — Sun, 04 Feb 2007 04:09:22 GMT

MAJOR JAPANESE SUPERMARKET CHAIN PERMANENTLY BANS ALL SALE OF DOLPHIN MEAT

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 10, 2007

On December 26, 2006, the director of food products for the Okuwa Supermarket Corporation, Mr. Yasunari Kanki, banned the sale of all dolphin meat in all of their stores. The ban is now permanent, according to a statement from Okuwa:

"We have decided, as a matter of company policy, that we will discontinue permanently the sale of dolphin meat regardless of test results currently being conducted by the company at an independent lab." The supermarket adds: "Those test results will be concluded next week, but the results will not be revealed."

The Save Japan Dolphins coalition (Earth Island Institute, Elsa Nature Conservancy of Japan, Animal Welfare Institute, and In Defense of Animals) applauds this major development in efforts to stop the Japanese dolphin slaughter. Our coalition members formally thank the Okuwa Supermarket chain for their landmark decision to protect the Japanese people from contaminated food products.

Mercury Contamination in Dolphin Meat

During our recent investigations in the Japanese fishing village Taiji, where each year hundreds of dolphins are brutally slaughtered, we visited several nearby supermarkets owned by the Okuwa Supermarket Corporation. The supermarkets are located in Taiji, Katsuura, and Shingu. Our team was very visible with our cameras in hand, and we asked whether the supermarkets would sell imported American or Australian beef if you knew mercury levels were the same dangerous levels as dolphin meat caught in Taiji? We also asked them to conduct independent tests on your products to see if the mercury levels are safe. We also asked, in light of The Japan Times report (11/01/06) of unsafe mercury levels in dolphin meat, why do you continue to sell the tainted dolphin meat and are you concerned about lawsuits by consumers?

We also informed the supermarkets that Dr. Tetsuya Endo, of the Hokkaido Health Science University, the Dai Ichi Health Science University and New Zealand Health Science University conducted a three-year joint study of mercury levels in dolphin meat from dolphins caught off the coast of Japan -- including Taiji. They found very high levels of mercury in every sample of dolphin meat that they tested. Their conclusion: nobody should consume dolphin meat. Dr. Endo is a highly respected Japanese scientist. His report on mercury tainted dolphin meat was published in 2005.

Meanwhile, the Japanese Minister of Health and Welfare has known about the danger yet has chosen not to warn the public about it.

As we reported in our Taiji blog on December 12th , we bought a package of striped dolphin meat from the Shingu Okuwa Supermarket and delivered it to The Japan Times in Tokyo to be independently tested. Here are the results: The second random sample of dolphin meat (iruka niku) sold at the Shingu Central Okuwa Supermarket was tested for total mercury with a readout of 5.40 ppm -- 14 times above the Koseisho's advisory level of 0.4 ppm. The first sample tested in February was over 4 times the advisory level at 1.77 ppm.

Dolphin Meat Now Banned

On December 26, 2006, the Director of Food Products for the Okuwa Supermarket Corporation, Mr. Yasunari Kanki, banned the sale of all dolphin meat in all of their stores. The ban on dolphin meat is official and permanent. The supermarket chain and conglomerate is comprised of drug stores, movie theatres, home store centers, sports clubs, hotels and amusement facilities.

Richard O'Barry, Marine Mammal Specialist for Earth Island Institute, on behalf of the coalition called the announcement: "a bold decision that should immediately be followed by other sources of this toxic meat." He continued: "We also salute the only newspaper in Japan reporting this most urgent and controversial issue. Journalist and photographer Boyd Harnell wrote the story for The Japan Times."

Approximately 23,000 dolphins, porpoises and other small whales are slaughtered in Japan every year. David Phillips, Director of Earth Island Institute's Int'l Marine Mammal Project stated: "It is crucial that we track where all this poisoned dolphin meat is going and stop its sale." He continued: "The Japanese public deserve better than to have this toxic product on their store shelves, and the dolphins deserve better than this cruel slaughter."

O'Barry continued: "We must also get the dolphin trainers and dolphin dealers out of Taiji. Leading aquariums and swim-with-dolphin dealers are subsidizing the Japan dolphin slaughter by paying $50,000 or more for a few 'show' dolphins from the catch -- the rest of the pod is slaughtered for dolphin meat on the Japanese market for much less money."

For further information on the Save Japan Dolphins Coalition effort to end the Japan dolphin slaughter, go to:

www.SaveJapanDolphins.org

posted in A Voice for Dolphins - 2 replies

IWC 59th meeting Anchorage Alaska this month

Gina — Wed, 16 May 2007 17:29:32 GMT

ok so the International Whaling Comission is meeting this month. We are hpoing Japan does NOT get a majority vote again. The dolphins need help too because this affects them. Japan kills dolphins too. So let's send our good thoughts and letters to delegates at IWC that Japan does not win a majority vote and they will be limited (ultimately stopped) in their activities.
Important adresses: greenpeace.org
IWC.com or IWC.org
IWC meeting address: Hotel Captain Cook
4th at K Street
Anchorage; Alaska 99501

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Flickr: Dolphins Wild & Free

Mon, 15 Jan 2007 19:15:51 GMT

I have a group over in Flickr that promotes photos of wild dolphins. It's called Dolphins Wild & Free and can be found at http://www.flickr.com/groups/wild_dolphins/

If any of you are on Flickr please post some pictures.. or just take a look at some of the great images people are taking of free dolphins from all around the world.

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Japan won over IWC and got enough votes to resume whaling again!!

Gina — Thu, 22 Jun 2006 20:07:40 GMT

This is very critical. Japan will resume whaling again and undo all the work that has been done for 20 years to protect these magnificent creatures. They were able to win enough votes from smaller countries at the IWC conference to be able to resume whaling . These folks just DON'T GET IT... the whales are the balancers of the world and oceans. They are highly spiritual and intelligent. They are not just animals... Japan will disrupt the circle of life as everything is connected and upset the delicate balance. This will ultimately affect man and lead to many problems if this balance is disrupted. Please sign petitions and/or donate to Greenpeace and Sea Shepherd. You can also try to contact the IWC (International Whaling Commission). Let's have these whales around for our kids to see and enjoy....

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The Dolphin Embassy comes to Malibu, June 3rd, 2006

Dolphin_Embassy — Tue, 30 May 2006 01:18:17 GMT

The Dolphin Embassy comes to Malibu

Ambassadors Scott Taylor and Amanda Hain from The Dolphin Embassy in Bryon Bay, Australia will be presenting a multi-media event with topics sure to interest California residents-- scientific, therapeutic, political, and spiritual-- describing work going on around the world about our extraordinary and vital link to the People of the Sea: @ Wright's Ranch, 24680 Piuma Rd, Malibu, from 7:00 til 10:00pm. Tickets $20 at the door, and $35 for couples.

The Dolphin Embassy's highly acclaimed multi-media presentation has video clips, animations, unique images, music, dolphin sounds, and live narration.

YOU WILL SEE AND HEAR THE BEAUTY OF THE DOLPHIN AND WHALE WORLD AS NEVER BEFORE

The Dolphin Embassy was started by an Australian and an American, Amanda and Scott, who have spent over 25 years studying and working with dolphins.

Scott is the author of "Souls in the Sea: Dolphins, Whales, and Human Destiny", published by Frog Ltd, Berkeley 2003. He is also the founding Director of the Cetacean Studies Institute, a research and education organisation based in Byron Bay.

Amanda, a trained counsellor, is the Director of the Dolphin EDventures Wellness Program in Coff's Harbour, Australia. The Wellness program is designed for adults to be able to have up-close and intimate contact with dolphins in a safe environment. The program offers "non-clinical, self-directed therapy", and has been helping people for over three years.

The Dolphin Embassy has been invited to bring the voice of the dolphins to the United Nations. "This is an extraordinary moment in history, when the other highly intelligent, socially sophisticated, language-using mammals with whom we share this world are able to take their rightful place among the community of nations--as the Cetacean Nation", says Scott Taylor.

Please, pass this on to all your lists.

See www.dolphintale.com for more information.

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EVIDENCE THAT DOLPHINS UNDERSTAND TELEPATHY

Gina — Wed, 09 Nov 2005 06:41:23 GMT

I recently swam with wild dolphins in Hawaii and decided to speak to them on two different occassions with telepathy. They responded by hanging out with me and swimming much more slowly and following the boat right on the side I was sitting!! I swam with them a total of five times and the times I did not use telepathy with them they behaved differently swimming past me and not following the boat. This is just my theory however.

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