The massacre of 20,000 bottlenose dolphins in the Pacific Ocean at Taiji Cove, Japan, is devastating and these massacres are becoming an epidemic because aquariums and marine parks, which bring in several million dollars a year, as SeaWorld is the largest customer requesting show dolphins. In the documentary The Cove1, Richard O'Barry stated that "aquariums demand the most beautiful dolphins and that for the other dolphins, they are killed for their meat." Although these dolphins are killed, the few others, which are difficult to produce in approximate quantities, are kept alive for profit and sold to marine parks. “20,000 dolphins are killed each year between September and March”, Sea Shepherd3. Spears are used to kill dolphins, and this technique turns the waters red with blood. Metal rods are now being pushed into dolphins to cause paralysis.1 People should be interested in this topic because if the killings continue, the side effects will be rapid extinction of the Japanese bottlenose dolphin, global mercury poisoning due to the consumption of contaminated dolphin meat and a major disruption of the physical activity of dolphins. ocean ecology food chain. According to journalist Boyd Harnell2, there have been cases linked to Japanese children suffering from birth defects because the mother had consumed dolphin meat contaminated with mercury. This problem occurs in the Pacific Ocean; the real massacres of bottlenose dolphins take place in Japan, more precisely in the Taiji cove.1 This cove is a naturally isolated lagoon and this is where these butcheries take place.1 This problem is global because these carnages do not occur only in Japan, they also occur in Peru. Additionally, Japan is also the subject of much of the controversy. This is a local problem due to secrecy and government cover-ups to help...... middle of paper ...... explain to them how the dolphins that do not survive are killed in great detail . Educate others about the connection between the captive dolphin industry and the Taiji dolphin massacre. Works cited1. Psihoyos L. Dir. O'Barry R. Actor. The Cove [film on DVD]. Madman: 20092. Boyd H. 2010. Experts fear Taiji mercury tests fatally flawed. The Japan Times [Internet]. [June 25, 2013, accessed February 4, 2014]. Available at: http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2010/05/23/life/experts-fear-taiji-mercury-tests-are-fatally-flawed/#.UvQTlPldU-U3. Taiji dolphin hunts continue [Internet]. January 29, 2014: Sea Shepherd; [cited February 3, 2014]. Available at: http://www.seashepherd.org/news-and-media/2014/01/29/taijis-dolphin-hunts-continue-15494. History of the destruction of cetaceans in Taiji [Internet]. Sea Shepherd; [cited February 3, 2014]. Available at: http://www.seashepherd.org/cove-guardians/cetacean-kill.html