Media Release 1st Sep
Migaloo 2 sails with the dolphins to support International freedom for Dolphins day
Dolphin and whale conservation yacht Migaloo 2 will set sail from Brunswick Heads harbor at 10 am Thursday 1st Sep in solidarity with “Global freedom for the dolphins day”. September 1st is the beginning of dolphin killing season in Japan. Global opposition to Japans dolphin slaughter is huge especially since “The Cove” movie won Best Documentary at the Oscars and was recently screened on ABC TV. “The Cove” exposes Japans dirty secret where they kill around 20,000 dolphins every year and select and sell to the worldwide captive dolphin industry.
Byron man, Howie Cooke, co founder of Surfers for Cetaceans, S4C, was in Taiji Japan in 2007 and was part of a paddle out with other surfers to form a circle to commemorate the thousands of dolphins that get slaughtered there every year. This brutal slaughter continues despite global outrage.
Howie Cooke who will be sailing on migaloo 2 on thursday said, “Japan Kills around 20,000 dolphins every year. This is not only an issue of the dolphins right to life, but also their right to liberty. Beyond the brutality of the dolphin slaughter by Japanese fisherman is the dark shame of trade in dolphins captured at Taiji cove and elsewhere, wherein traumatised dolphins are sold into slavery at seaquariums, hotel pools and reserch institutions thus perpetuating and financing the brutal dolphin drives. Migaloo 2 and S4C call on World association of zoos and aquarium WAZA and Japan association of zoos and aquarium JAZA and the likes of Seaworld and marineland to have nothing to do whatsoever with dolphin captivity and publicly condemn dolphin captivity and slaughter and to move towards liberating and no longer incarcerating cetaceans whatsoever.
Migaloo 2 is a 45 ft fiberglass yacht bought to use as a platform to raise awareness on important issues facing whales, dolphins and ocean health. Visionary and Skipper of Migaloo 2, Dean Jefferys said “We are about to sail along the east coast of Australia to Hervey Bay during the humpback whale migration visiting ports along the way showing films and giving talks about critical issues facing whales, dolphins and marine health. We also plan to do lots of live internet streaming from Migaloo 2 so the whole world including the Japanese can see what amazing beings the whales and dolphins really are. Tomorrow we plan to link up with other groups though my website http://migaloo2.com/ around 4.30 pm and live stream activities from around the world including what the dolphins from Byron Bay have to say about Japan killing their relatives. On our northern trip we plan to visit Seaworld on the gold coast to ask them to join us in condemning the dolphin killing and trade in wild dolphins. We also plan to bring attention to the destructive effects of the shark nets on the marine wildlife. “
For interviews or more info: Howie Cooke mobile is 0422641664 and Dean Jefferys phone is 0467485903.
Media are invited to ask Seaworld themselves (Vet is Trevor Long) if they are prepared to condemn Japans brutal dolphin drives and dolphins sold into slavery and support the removal of the shark nets. Seaworld Admin phone 07 5588 2222