Taiji Whale Museum

Taiji, Japan - Albino Bottlenose Dolphin at Taiji whale museum

February 25, 2014 - Taiji, Japan - Shoujo, the albino Bottlenose Dolphin calf, is held at the Taiji Dolphin Museum in Taiji, Japan. She now has a number of visible marks on her torso likely sustained since being confined.

Taiji, Japan - Bottlenose dolphins in Whale Museum at night

September 24, 2013 - Taiji, Japan - Captive Bottlenose dolphin at Whale Museum shows signs of distress and loneliness.

Captive dolphin at the Taiji Whale Museum

A captive dolphin at the Taiji whale museum floats listlessly day-after-day, even as other dolphins swim around him.

Taiji (太地町 Taiji-chō) Wakayama - Japan - The Cove

This video was taken in 2011 -

Taiji: Hell on Earth for Dolphins

New video with drone footage from Sea Shepherd's Cove Guardians Operation Infinite Patience 2016/17 Campaign.

Taiji Whale Museum Whale Show 太地町くじら館　クジラショー

This show generally features Risso's Dolphins, Short-finned Pilot Whales, and False Killer Whales (which really are just larger dolphins) but the pilot whales were not in the show area when I went.

One thing I noticed this time was the dolphins are kept in the pen you see in the background overnight but get to come out during the day.

Below are some highlights:

0:00 The Risso's dolphin in the holding pen was jumping a lot!
1:15 Everyone lobtails on cue (the dolphin is still jumping back there lol)
2:35 Spotlight on Risso's dolphins
5:08 Spotlight on the false killer whale plus she slides out at 5:40!
7:34 Maron breaches!
9:30 Niru bows! She is so pregnant here!
9:57 False killer whale target pole jump!
10:21 All three dolphins jump together!
10:58 Kisu and Maron wave goodbye!

Satsuki and Maron (Risso's Dolphins) and Kisu (False Killer Whale) at Taiji Whale Museum on 1/27/18.

Do not use without permission.

Taiji, Japan, Jan 2014

Events leading up to the cruel and inhumane killing and and taking into captivity of dolphins at The Cove Taiji, Japan, during my visit from Ireland in late January 2014.

Having watched Sea Shepherd's Cove Guardians daily Live stream online of the horrific events here, I decided I wanted to see it for myself. I travelled for approximately 26 hours in total from Ireland to Paris, onwards to Osaka, and then from there, I travelled by train for 4 hours to Kii-Katsuura in Japan. This town is a 10 minute taxi ride to Taiji, and where I based myself for my short 4 day visit, before returning to Ireland.

On the morning following my arrival, i made my way to Taiji by train, and from the train station walked to the Cove, a journey of approximately 30 minutes. What struck me most about Taiji, besides the obvious total disregard for any compassion by the locals, was the lack of people around, it is a town which resembles a town struck by a radiation fall-out. Buildings in a run down condition, no pedestrians to speak of bar the ever present police, (Totalling no more than 20 I would estimate), and the activists, who were merely recording what was occurring.

During the 30 minute walk from the train station to the Cove, you walk along a very quiet road which is overlooking the sea. You also pass by, Dolphin resort Hotel, and the Taiji Whale Museum,(Which keeps dolphins in captivity to perform for ignorant uneducated people), along with an old Whaling ship, which has the word RESEARCH painted in large writing along its side.

The road takes a right turn, and as soon as you have completed the turn, the Cove appears on your left side. Again, very few people around, bar those already mentioned. No road traffic to speak of either. The reason I mention this is because it is like any other harbour/cove/beach area I have been throughout the world, you can hear birds singing, the water lapping up on the rocks, and the sun shining. The only thing that is out of the ordinary is that there are a few nets spanning the cove quite close to the beach.

On my first morning at the Cove, on my arrival, I noticed boats at the entrance to the Cove, and then saw a pod of dolphins even closer to me than I had expected, being driven into the shallow water. As much as I had seen this on the web, I can assure you that nothing can prepare you adequately for seeing it in person.

To be so close to living creatures, who are about to be killed is a horrible feeling. Watching while these beautiful living creatures are driven into the shallows of the Cove, knowing their fate at the hands of these small minded killers is horrific. The method of capturing these dolphins/whales is cruel and unnecessary.

Once the dolphins had been driven into the cove, I made my way to the hill overlooking the cove itself to gain a better viewpoint of the slaughter. Up there were Sea Shepherd's Cove Guardians, among others and again about ten police, who literally followed activists around permanently.

From this height, you can look down directly onto the area of the cove where the slaughter is carried out....... it is a long drawn out process that I have no doubt causes great pain, and stress to the dolphins.

I watched right before me, the killers manhandle dolphins in a very unsympathetic manner, and kill them in a brutal cruel way. I stood there for over an hour listening to the dolphins thrashing in the water as they met their untimely death, and watched as the water turned a dark red colour.

What I do feel that's most needed in Taiji though, is a LOT more people to travel there and voice your opposition. There were as I stated, approximately 20 non police there whilst I was there............. What is needed is HUNDREDS....... bus loads of people leaving Osaka airport and indeed all over Japan to stand together and fight for what is right.

So if you can spare a few days/weeks of your time, perhaps you are due to take a holiday/vacation soon, why not skip the All Inclusive hotel resort this year, where all you get is cheap food and watered down beer, and instead, travel to Taiji, and stand up for what you believe in.

It will be a life changing event for you, and the dolphins.

#tweet4taiji

Taiji - Captive albino baby dolphin (January 2014)

Shows: After being separated from its mother the day before this baby albino dolphin is held at Taiji's Whale Museum before potential being sold to a foreign aquarium.

Background: The biggest dolphin catch of the season. A pod of 250+ dolphins were caught on Friday 17th and kept for 4 days. Every morning some were selected for captive selection whilst others were corralled under tarpaulin tents where they are killed out of sight.

Taiji, Japan - Pilot whale laying nearly lifeless in the cove

September 18, 2013 - Taiji, Japan - A Pilot whale lays nearly lifeless in the bloody cove.

False Killer Whale Taiji Whale Museum

Ok, so I have really been unsure about releasing this video filmed at Taiji Whale Museum on the 17th January 2017. The last time #Taiji captured and killed false killer whales was in 2011, so whether this is because no orders are in for live ones, or their numbers have declined that much in the area, I do not know. They currently hold one False Killer Whale who is Male.
I have had this video analysed by 3 cetacean experts with extensive marine training. All concurred that this appears to be the trainer conditioning the animal to accept tactile stimulation and manual probing, possibly in readiness for any artificial breeding in the future. This is just another example of the horrors these once wild beings endure for our entertainment, so it should be seen, should be shared widely, because these sentient beings did not sign up for this show willingly, they have been forced into this life of slavery and abuse, for human entertainment.
For me, this act alone is invasive, horrific and wrong on so many levels, but more disturbing is the lack of gloves used for this procedure, I would be concerned about infection being transmitted to this animal. I emailed #IMATA about what would be standard practice in these instances, and advised I had a video depicting this, however have not had a response. Please share. Watch in HD
#IMATA #ShameIMATA #Broome #LoveBroome #dontbuyaticket #takethepledge #EmptyTheTanks

Taiji, Japan - A dead pilot whale is taken from the cove

October 10, 2013 - Taiji, Japan - Days after slaughter, a dead decomposing Pilot whale is taken from the cove.

Taiji Japan: The town of sun, black tide and whales

In front of Hatajiri Bay where each year the protesters come and try to cut the nets to free the dolphins being slaughtered. In the summer time it is a swimming refuge for the people of Taiji to escape the sweltering heat.

Dolphin / Whale show Taiji, Japan

This is a video of the dolphin and whale show at the Whale Museum in Taiji, Japan . Taiji is located in Wakayama Prefecture and noted in the movie The Cove. The movie resulted in Sea Shepherd establishing a sub-group the Cove Guardians.

These Cove Guardians stated mission is to document for the world to see the dolphin capture activity that takes place in Taiji. The foreigners who constitute the membership of the Cove Guardians in the past have engaged in harassing the locals in Taiji and surroundings. Some have engaged in religious shrine / monuments disrespect.

At times the number of Cove Guardians can reach anywhere from twenty to thirty foreigners standing at the water's edge with their arms crossed in self-righteous indignation. While many of their supporters are urging a boycott of Japan and Japanese products, these Cove Guardians are spending plenty of money in Taiji and surrounding communities with their Japanese cameras and computers.

The money spent by the Cove Guardians in the area contributes to the local economy and are welcomed by the locals as they represent the dolphin tourism industry. All that the Cove Guardians have accomplished is watching the dolphins while enriching the locals. They have done absolutely nothing to decrease the number of dolphins captured.

Sea Shepherd Cove Guardians Facebook page:


Sea Shepherd Cove Guardians mostly dormant live-stream page:


Link to Texas Daddy store:


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Angel the Albino Dolphin in Taiji Whale Museum

Cove Monitor Karla Sanjur took this footage of Angel, the baby albino dolphin, in her newly captive situation at the Taiji Whale Museum, a stone's throw from where she was forever separated from her mother, family and the ocean. She is displaying unnatural behaviors - not swimming with the other dolphins, infrequently coming up for air - it looks as though she is suffering from the enormous trauma she has just endured. Read more at dolphinproject.org

Taiji, Japan - Pilot whale beached in the cove

September 12, 2013 - Taiji, Japan - A Pilot whale tries desperately to escape the killers and beaches itself on the shores of the cove.

Taiji, Japan - Pilot whales tethered before slaughter

October 6, 2013 - Taiji, Japan - Before slaughter, the Pilot whale pod's matriarch and a large female are tethered to the cove while their family stays by their side.

Taiji, Japan - Bottlenose transfer out of Taiji

September 16, 2013 - Taiji, Japan - Four Bottlenose dolphins are transported out of Taiji, where Cove Guardians were able to follow the transfer until police intercepted at the Kansai International Airport in Osaka, Japan.

Pantropical spotted dolphins taken captive in Taiji, Japan

A spotted dolphin injured during captive selection is dumped back under tarps for slaughter