Honey the lonely dolphin, abandoned in Japanese aquarium, sparks public outcry

Record ID: 1353943

  • Title: Honey the lonely dolphin, abandoned in Japanese aquarium, sparks public outcry
  • Date: 28th August 2018
  • Summary: TOKYO, JAPAN (AUGUST 28, 2018) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (Japanese) REPRESENTATIVE OF PEACE, SACHIKO AZUMA, SAYING: "They (the aquarium) are an agency dealing with animals so it's their responsibility to explain what they are going to do with Honey and the other animals."
  • Embargoed: 11th September 2018 09:38
  • Keywords: Taiji The Cove Dolphin Humbolt penguins aquariums cetaceans
  • Location: CHOSHI AND TOKYO, JAPAN
  • City: CHOSHI AND TOKYO, JAPAN
  • Country: Japan
  • Topics: Environment,Nature/Wildlife
  • Reuters ID: LVA0098V3O5EH
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: The plight of a lonely dolphin and dozens of penguins that have been abandoned in a derelict aquarium in Japan since the start of the year sparked calls on Tuesday (August 28) from animals activists for the marine park involved to take responsibility.
    The operator of the Inubosaki Marine Park Aquarium in the city of Choshi in Chiba prefecture, just east of Tokyo, shuttered the facility in January citing a decline in visitors after the 2011 earthquake and nuclear crisis.
    The female bottlenose dolphin, nicknamed Honey, was captured in 2005 near Taiji, a western port town that has become notorious for its annual dolphin hunt that was featured in the Oscar-winning 2009 documentary "The Cove", media reports say.
    The practice of Japanese aquariums buying dolphins from Taiji came under heavy criticism following the release of the film. The hunt involves driving hundreds of dolphins into a cove, where some are taken alive for sale to marine parks, while others are killed for meat.
    Honey and 46 penguins, along with hundreds of fish and reptiles, remain at the aquarium, an official with the Chiba prefectural Health and Welfare department said. Employees have continued feeding the animals regularly, the official added.
    Still, the incident triggered protests this week, with activists and ordinary Japanese alike calling for the animals to be moved to new homes.
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