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Friday, November 6, 2009

playing with a dolphin at Whale Museum


The next day my friend dropped by and over coffee, I asked about the boats circled out at sea the day before.... He said that he had asked his father about that and was told that they never found any dolphins that day; so they had quit early - (Yikes, found out then, that his Father is also involved in the dolphin slaughter)..... pretended to be very casual about his comment, but he was beginning to let things slip out...and he asked me if i didn't mind if he smoked....which I said I did not, but added that he should quit.... but when we talked about other things, he did not seem to need a cigarette, only when the conversation turned to dolphins. Was feeling tension building in our friendship....perhaps he was beginning to realize that my mind was not being changed about how I feel about the dolphin slaughter. The more he began to see this...the less he looked me in the eye....by now I had also began to suspect that he was the one who had me followed by those men in the black suits and white shirts (the attire of the Yakuza, Japanese Mafia).

After coffee my friend and I went to the "Whale Museum" ....they let us in free as he knew the people who worked there. Upstairs we wandered among the artifacts....where he told me that his family has been harpooning whales since the 1600's. Suppose at one time, this was a very honourable profession, where the bravest men would go out and bring home food for an entire community. We went on to the dolphin aquariums....where through a glass window I played with the dolphins. My friend filmed me playing with them, then excused himself for a smoke...his demeanor off...he seemed emotional....almost as though he was holding back tears.

As soon as I walked in, I could feel that one of the dolphins wanted so badly to play. As one can see they love interacting with people. They are so confined to swimming in circles. Dolphins are so intelligent, they need mental stimulation. Played with him until my friend finally tore me away.



Playing like a kid with the dolphins...



Later while still interacting with the dolphin, he pressed his face against the glass, making gestures with his mouth.... felt that he was trying to tell me that he was angry at being in such a small tank:(
 

While having another coffee break at the Whale Museum...overlooking the Killer Whale enclosure...he talked about when he was younger there use to be another female Orca who seemed much more friendly-but she died. And told me about a dolphin who would find garbage bags and swim with one on her fin...when the trainers would take it off her...she would find another....when he went to laugh at the thought of the dolphin outsmarting the trainers, he stopped himself. That is when I got a chill up my spine...because he immediately disconnected himself from any caring emotion towards dolphins. There seemed to be emotional conflict about the dolphin slaughter in my friend's head. Family loyalty is important in Japan...... could sense he was having to be loyal in thinking and supporting what his family believed. Felt a certain sympathy for him because he was born into this.

We left the museum....and told him that I did not need a ride home as I was going to explore the area...translation: Check the Cove for dolphins. He left....and no doubt he knew why I wanted to stay behind. Just behind the "Whale Museum" there are stairs which lead up to a cliff...which is the look out point to the killing cove....when I reached the top and saw the tarps up...where the Japanese do NOT want anyone viewing the cove and what happens in the cove. Fought my way through the vines to the edge of the cliff....Spooky place!...but was relieved to see no dolphins in the Cove. Hopefully, it will remain that way.

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