The Cove

I am not much of an environmentalist, maybe a bit of a sympathizer. Nor have I really ever been passionate about animal rights. But, recently I watched the documentary called 'The Cove' and it left me a feeling of loss. It is about the annual butchering of 2,300 dolphins in Taiji, Japan. At some points I thought about how it was just another ethnocentric representation of a foreign practice. Which maybe true to some extent, since there are plenty of inhumane activity practiced on animals by 'westerners'. But, what affected me more was the reason why Ric O'Barry became such a passionate activist, his story of how flipper, the star dolphin of a famous tv show committed suicide in his arms. And, then there was the water around the cove, running red from the killings.

It just made me think, about the beauty of nature. About how awe-inspiring dolphins are, and how intelligent and amiable. And about how truly ungrateful we are of God's creations.

Other than the romanticized response, I was also shocked to learn that the dolphin meat is sold in Japan as shark meat; shark meat being an customary food item. Dolphin meat contains 5 times the acceptable amount of mercury. And this meat is being given to school students as a mandatory lunch, which they can not reject.

So, if you get the chance, watch it