- Title: JAPAN: Activist Richard O'Barry hopes to stop sale of tainted dolphin meat
- Date: 15th June 2010
- Summary: TOKYO, JAPAN (JUNE 15, 2010) (REUTERS) FORMER DOLPHIN TRAINER AND ACTIVIST FROM OSCAR-WINNING DOCUMENTARY "THE COVE", RICHARD O'BARRY SITTING DOWN FOR INTERVIEW (SOUNDBITE) (English) FORMER DOLPHIN TRAINER AND ACTIVIST FROM OSCAR-WINNING DOCUMENTARY "THE COVE", RICHARD O' BARRY SAYING: "It's sad. It's really an assault on democracy. This is not North Korea, it's not China and it's not Cuba, it's a democratic society. There's a very small minority of radicals who are going to the home of the distributor and to the theater owners and threatening." O'BARRY BEING INTERVIEWED (SOUNDBITE) (English) FORMER DOLPHIN TRAINER AND ACTIVIST FROM OSCAR-WINNING DOCUMENTARY "THE COVE", RICHARD O' BARRY SAYING: "I think that's a whitewash. The mayor of Taiji did that. If there were some investigative journalists to go to Taiji and go to Shingu and go Wakayama city and Katsuura and looks in the filing cabinets of the doctors in the hospitals, they would find the evidence. There is a real problem." DOLPHIN TATTOO ON O'BARRY'S HAND (SOUNDBITE) (English) FORMER DOLPHIN TRAINER AND ACTIVIST FROM OSCAR-WINNING DOCUMENTARY "THE COVE", RICHARD O' BARRY SAYING: "I haven't really given it any thought. I'm focused on trying to stop the sale of tainted dolphin meat. The media tends to try to put everybody who likes dolphins and whales in the same bag. If you like dolphins and whales, you must be Sea Shepherd or you must be Greenpeace and it's something that actually I'm not."
- Embargoed: 30th June 2010 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Japan
- Country: Japan
- Topics: Arts / Culture / Entertainment / Showbiz
- Reuters ID: LVA1QMOWM5STLRUEP7FYF6R03509
- Story Text: Former dolphin trainer and activist Richard O'Barry, also responsible for the Oscar-winning documentary "The Cove", said on Tuesday (June 15) his focus is now on preventing the sale of tainted dolphin meat.
"The Cove", a documentary film about the annual killings of dolphins at Taiji in Japan has created a lot of controversy in the nation as protesters call on Japanese theatres to drop the film, saying it gives the country a negative image.
O'Barry was in Tokyo to promote the film. The local distributor of the film said a small, but vocal nationalist group had protested in front of their office and outside the home of the company's president in the capital in April and have since been harassing theatres that are scheduled to show the film.
"It's sad. It's really an assault on democracy. This is not North Korea, it's not China and it's not Cuba, it's a democratic society. There's a very small minority of radicals who are going to the home of the distributor and to the theater owners and threatening," O'Barry explained.
Last year, the Taiji local government commissioned a survey to measure mercury levels within the local population and to assess the effects mercury has had on the health of the local population. While scientists found high levels of mercury, they announced that scientists did not find evidence of illness attributable to methyl mercury poisoning.
"I think that's a whitewash. The mayor of Taiji did that. If there were some investigative journalists to go to Taiji and go to Shingu and go Wakayama city and Katsuura and looks in the filing cabinets of the doctors in the hospitals, they would find the evidence. There is a real problem." O'Barry said when asked what he thought of the results.
The documentary won the Oscar for best feature documentary in March and was shown at the Tokyo International Film Festival last fall. While it contains scenes taken using night vision cameras and has some confrontations with locals, O'Barry tried to distance himself from some other environmental groups that are viewed as using extreme methods.
"I haven't really given it any thought. I'm focused on trying to stop the sale of tainted dolphin meat. The media tends to try to put everybody who likes dolphins and whales in the same bag. If you like dolphins and whales, you must be Sea Shepherd or you must be Greenpeace and it's something that actually I'm not," O'Barry explained.
The film's distributor said only a few cinemas nationwide still planned to show the documentary, which is due to be released in Japan on June 26. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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