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| Misty the Dolphin is Alive! |
Today we have obtained a photograph of a dolphin we have come to know fondly as “Misty.” The image was taken in 2012 at Dolphin Resort in Taiji, Japan (Misty is the dolphin on the left). While we are never happy to see a dolphin in captivity -- especially in Taiji -- the sight of this particular dolphin brings tears of joy to the eyes of many, many people across the globe. MISTY THE DOLPHIN IS ALIVE!
We first learned about the plight of a very sick dolphin being held in a filthy pool in Taiji, Japan, on December 30, 2010. Video footage obtained by Sea Shepherd Cove Guardians Andy Romanowski, Nicole McLachlan and Libby Miller, showed an animal floating listlessly in blackened water. He clung tightly to a small yellow buoy. He appeared to be hours from death.
Within hours, our campaign, Save Misty the Dolphin, was founded on facebook. Within hours, thousands of people became part of an international movement to get this animal moved into a cleaner pool. Thousands of calls, e-mails and faxes were logged to Dolphin Base and Dolphin Resort in Taiji. Sea Shepherd’s Captain Paul Watson even offered to purchase the dolphin, but this offer was rejected by Misty’s captors. The calls from people around the world persisted. Members of the staff of Dolphin Base literally begged Sea Shepherd to have the calls stopped. We wouldn’t be silenced...and in the late hours of the evening of January 3, Misty was moved to a cleaner pool.
Cove Guardians with Sea Shepherd Conservation Society continued to monitor Misty until the end of the 2011 drive hunt. We watched in horror as the disaster of March 11, 2011, hit Japan. We held our breath waiting for word about survivors. Our prayers were answered when we learned that the volunteers from Sea Shepherd Conservation Society and Save Japan Dolphins survived the earthquake and tsunami. At the same time, we were grieving for a nation that lost thousands of innocents - all in a matter of minutes.
Cove Guardians with Sea Shepherd Conservation Society continued to monitor Misty until the end of the 2011 drive hunt. We watched in horror as the disaster of March 11, 2011, hit Japan. We held our breath waiting for word about survivors. Our prayers were answered when we learned that the volunteers from Sea Shepherd Conservation Society and Save Japan Dolphins survived the earthquake and tsunami. At the same time, we were grieving for a nation that lost thousands of innocents - all in a matter of minutes.
Following the tsunami, we had no way of keeping track of Misty. Then, with the start of the 2011-2012 dolphin drive hunt, there were all kinds of new restrictions in place in Taiji that made it extraordinarily difficult -- and illegal -- to obtain the kind of footage that was obtained by the Cove Guardians in the previous season.
Our team has studied images of Misty for the last several months. Like all dolphins, Misty has certain identifiable features. In Misty’s case, these features are a short beak, an overbite and a birthmark above his eye. We broke down video clips frame-by-frame. We scoured every obtainable transfer record of dolphins shipped from Taiji, and we reached the conclusion that Misty was still being held at Dolphin Resort. In early 2012, we had an unconfirmed sighting of Misty. Now, with the acquisition of this image we can say, without a doubt, that Misty the Dolphin is alive.
To us, Misty is a symbol of hope. He is the reason why we are here. He is the reason why we fight, every single day, to stop the slaughter and to end captivity. We have never given up on Misty and we never will. In his name, we continue the fight. We will never be silent and we will never give up until the waters of the Cove are forever blue and all dolphins are free. We are so glad you are here with us. Let’s continue the fight - TOGETHER!
