Japanese Zoos Vote to Stop Buying Taiji Dolphins
Amid mounting international pressure
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After years of external scrutiny, the Japanese Association of Zoos and Aquariums (JAZA) has banned the buying and selling of dolphins from the controversial Taiji hunt, National Geographic reported Wednesday.
Under threat of expulsion from the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA), JAZA voted last week to approve the Taiji dolphin ban. The vote came on the heels of WAZA suspending JAZA in April for “issues involving JAZA member zoos and aquariums taking dolphins from the Japanese drive fishery,” according to a press release.
The Taiji hunt was made famous through the Oscar-winning 2009 documentary The Cove.
