I have been meaning to see this film ever since I saw a trailer for it back in 2009. However, somehow I've only just got round to seeing it! The Cove is one of the best documentaries that I have seen in a very long time.
At the beginning I thought that the people slaughtering these dolphins in their thousands each year had a reason for it, even if it was wrong, but it turns out that they didn't. The fact that the chosen few that are taken away to be kept in captivity and perform as show dolphins are actually the lucky ones is heart wrenching. The rest are cornered into a secret, highly guarded cove and butchered. They are either falsely sold as 'whale meat' (as dolphin meat is high in mercury and is therefore poisonous), or just killed as they are 'pests'. Some of these fishermen actually believe that dolphins and whales are the cause of fisheries being in decline, which is ridiculous to say the least. The high profile activist Ric O' Berry believes that many of the problems of Taiji are made worse by the lack of effort from the government and possibly even a government cover up.
I was thoroughly entrenched in this film. I felt the pain of the dolphins, and for the activists that tried so hard to uncover the full truth. I wouldn't say this is a film to be enjoyed, but it is a documentary that must be seen. Three years on and the killings continue, though they have marginally decreased since this film was released. The more people who know about this, the more chance there is for it to be stopped for good.
For fans of dolphins, hard hitting documentaries and a moral conscience.
Stars *****
These are just a few sites to visit if you want more information about supporting the activists:
www.savejapandolphins.org
www.taijiactiongroup.blogspot.com
www.thepetitionsite.com/3/stop-the-dolphin-slaughter/
www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/724/210/624
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