PHILIPPINES: Filipino artist protests Japan's dolphin hunt with paint and pursuasion

Record ID: 345721

  • Title: PHILIPPINES: Filipino artist protests Japan's dolphin hunt with paint and pursuasion
  • Date: 3rd September 2010
  • Summary: (SOUNDBITE) (English) VISUAL ARTIST A.G. SANO SAYING: "I see some hope especially from the Philippines, because we are a coastal country. We have a really long coastline, and we really have no choice but to take care of the oceans."
  • Embargoed: 18th September 2010 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Philippines
  • Country: Philippines
  • Topics: Arts / Culture / Entertainment / Showbiz,Environment / Natural World
  • Reuters ID: LVA1RLCAEPETADG2SVTM1W6ZY2AF
  • Story Text: The campaign against dolphin slaughter in Taiji, Japan has rippled across to Southeast Asia, and has inspired a young Filipino artist to paint thousands of dolphins to promote marine life protection.
    Moved by the Oscar-winning documentary "The Cove", which showed how hunters trapped dolphins to be sold to amusement parks and aquariums, visual artist A.G. Sano (pronounced San-yo) has launched a campaign by drawing dolphin murals around the Philippines.
    "I've been a dolphin and whale photographer for 11 years. And I know how beautiful they are. I know how to appreciate them in the wild. And then I see, I see thousands upon thousands of them being wiped out," Sano said.
    So far, Sano has painted around 5,000 of his targeted 23,000 dolphins, the figure alluding to the number of dolphins allegedly killed each year in Taiji.
    "They gather as much dolphins as they can from the cove, from the migratory roots. And they choose the good looking dolphins for the dolphin shows. And then the rest of the dolphins that they gather, that they're not able to use for the shows, they slaughter them," Sano said Once word of Sano's dolphin campaign spread, he received calls from concerned individuals who were interested in both his art and his advocacy.
    Schools often invite him to grace their walls with marine life images, to ingrain the message to children as early as possible.
    "Because in science, we teach living things in the water. We can teach them that there are living things in the water that we can not eat, that they are very friendly, they can help people." pre-school principal Julie Cortez said.
    Though far from Taiji, Sano said his objective was to rile up indignance against establishments including some in the Philippines that patronise the dolphin trade. He has taken his campaign around the country, even crossing seas to nearby Malaysia, hoping his message will provoke action against the slaughter.
    "Please stop going to dolphin shows. Stop going to dolphinariums, because it fuels the dolphin drives in Taiji, it fuels the slaughter basically," Sano said.
    He aims to finish his goal before the next hunting season begins in Taiji.
    Sano frequently takes his campaign to coastal provinces where preserving the marine environment is critical in sustaining local livelihood.
    Last June, he visited the town of Baclayon in the central Philippine province of Bohol, which hosts a marine sanctuary that is home to dolphins, coral reefs and a rich variety of marine life. Eco-tourism has been flourishing in the sunny island, largely due to the wildlife.
    "I see some hope especially from the Philippines, because we are a coastal country. We have a really long coastline, and we really have no choice but to take care of the oceans," Sano said.
    Involving the youth is also essential in his campaign, the 34-year-old Sano said.
    "It's important to campaign to the youth, because primarily they're the ones who still has the capacity to understand the issues and they have the capacity to absorb certain information that the older ones don't wish to listen to anymore," he said.
    Many Filipinos are unaware of the rich natural resources in their surroundings nor have the sense of urgency to protect them.
    "It's also awareness for the children. So they know and understand what they have, that they are blessed to have dolphins here in Baclayon," Joel Uichico said.
    The Philippine archipelago of 7,000 plus islands boasts one of the most diverse ecosystems in the world.
    But the trade of endangered and threatened animals is rife in the developing country, where environment protection laws are not strictly implemented.
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