AR-News: Letters needed to stop DAT in Japan

[Masako Miyaji]

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 at m.sanuki.ne.jp    
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,
Director 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：pah03724 at nifty.ne.jp

***********

Mr. Shinya Akazawa, Mayor of Sanuki City
5385-8, Shido, Sanuki-shi, Kagawa-ken, 
769-2195 Japan
E-mail: hisyo at m.sanuki.ne.jp    
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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