 | ||
Australia for Dolphins (AFD) is an animal welfare charity committed to achieving international protection for small cetaceans (dolphins and other small whales, which lack international legal protection). The organisation aims to end dolphin hunting and cruel dolphin captivity. AFD took groundbreaking legal action in 2015 which managed to "knock the wind out of Japan's dolphin hunt".
Contents
AFD was founded by CEO Sarah Lucas in 2012, after she made a life-changing journey to the Japanese town of Taiji to observe the world's largest dolphin drive hunts.
Lucas returned to Taiji with Channel Nine's 60 Minutes film crew in January 2014 to make the documentary The Killing Cove, which aired on February 21, 2014. Produced by Phil Goyen and presented by Liz Hayes, the segment documented the drive hunts, including the capture of a rare albino dolphin calf named Angel. Lucas and the crew were later denied access to the Taiji Whale Museum, where the calf was taken for exhibition. Staff at the museum held up an English language sign, denying the group entry.
Action 4 Angel lawsuit
In May 2014, Australia for Dolphins filed legal action against the Taiji government in the Wakayama District Court. The Action for Angel lawsuit asserts that, as the owner and operator of the whale museum, the town of Taiji is illegally refusing entry to law-abiding people based on their appearance. AFD claims the conduct by the museum is contrary to Japan's Constitution, which states ‘there shall be no discrimination in political, economic or social relations because of race'.
In November 2015, Sarah Lucas took the stand in Wakayama District Court, and gave evidence against the Taiji Whale Museum. A verdict is expected to be announced by March 2016.
Legal action against WAZA
In March 2015, AFD launched legal action against the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums ('WAZA') in Switzerland. The legal action argued WAZA should stop endorsing members involved in dolphin hunting and other acts of animal cruelty, as this endorsement contradicted the association's code of ethics. Within a month of the campaign launch, WAZA suspended the membership of its Japanese member, the Japanese Association of Zoos and Aquariums, which allowed member aquariums to purchase dolphins from the Taiji drive hunts. A few weeks later Japanese aquariums in the WAZA network agreed to stop purchasing dolphins from the Taiji hunts.
Of the decision, Sarah Lucas told The Guardian, "This momentous decision marks the beginning of the end for dolphin hunting in Japan. The capture of live dolphins, which sell for up to $100,000, is the motivation for the brutal dolphin hunts in Taiji. This decision, which stops Japanese aquariums demanding more Taiji dolphins, is a huge blow to the hunts. Jaza aquariums provide up to 40% of total demand for live dolphins from Taiji. So, as of today, the market for Taiji dolphins could be nearly cut in half. Without demand, the hunts won’t continue. It is the first major step towards ending the Taiji dolphin hunts once and for all.”