14 DAY TRIAL // Japan is getting quite a lot of bad publicity these days, and its annual dolphin hunt is to blame for it.
Thus, animal rights activists and conservationists are not in the least pleased with the news that several dozen bottlenose dolphins have been herded in the country's Taiji cove, and were scheduled to be butchered for their meat this past January 20.
In an attempt to fight back the heavy criticism, the Japanese government has spoken to the press and has pointed out the fact that, the way folks in the country see things, this dolphin hunt is a tradition and not a display of cruelty towards animals.
According to The Guardian, high officials in the country have also stressed the fact that, at least for the time being, the hunt is totally legal.
Hence, conservationists and public figures such as Unites States ambassador Caroline Kennedy have no business pointing the finger at Japan and bad-mouthing it.
“Dolphin fishing is a form of traditional fishing in our country,” Yoshihide Suga, chief cabinet secretary, said in a statement.
By the looks of it, the fishermen behind the Taiji hunt are quite convinced that they are doing nothing wrong, and also think that people who eat other kinds of meat and who criticize their turning dolphins into a food source are a tad hypocritical.