(WARNING: THIS ARTICLE CONTAINS GRAPHIC PICTURES AND DESCRIBES THE BRUTAL DOLPHIN HUNT IN TAIJI, JAPAN)

We have all been fooled by the smiling dolphins at Sea World, but do you know what is happening to the innocent creatures in Taiji, Japan? Thousands of them are being slaughtered every day from March until September, every year. The frightened mammals are herded in to a small cove where they are captured, tortured, or killed. So much blood flows from the helpless creatures that the water literally turns red with blood!

Dolphins are exceptionally social and intelligent mammals. They are extremely sensitive to sound which is one of their worst characteristics in Taiji where fisherman round them up by the hundreds to their deaths.

The fishermen wait for a pod of dolphins to become visible and then surround them with their boats. They place long poles in to the water while banging on the ends of them with hammers, creating a wall of sound which scares the dolphins straight in to their trap. The dolphins become extremely stressed out and fearful for their lives. The fisherman then seal the dolphins in to the cove with a net and go home for the night.

The next day, trainers from all around the world, come to the cove to chose dolphins for their dolphinariums. The most popular of the chosen dolphins are bottle-nose dolphins because they mirror "Flipper," the dolphin of the extremely popular television series. Thus, it is no surprise that Taiji is the main supplier of dolphins to marine parks and programs all over the world. Dolphins are sold for up to $150,000 dollars and the fisherman of Taiji profit the money.

These dolphin drives last from September to March. About 23,000 dolphins and porpoises are killed every year. The captivity industry drives these fisherman, by paying them such a substantial amount of money for a live dolphin. These are the drugged-out, smiling dolphins we see in aquariums.

Anyone can watch the capture of dolphins, but the slaughter takes place in a secret cove, where nobody can see. Fisherman tie the undesired dolphins to the side of their tiny boats and take them to the deadly cove. They stand on top of their boats repeatedly stabbing the defenseless dolphins with spears. The animals try desperately to survive, coming up for their last breaths from the bloody water. The fisherman pull the dead dolphins on to their boats, giving them one last whack with their spears to ensure their deaths. They slaughter every single one they can get.

This slaughter is happening right now. Literally right at this moment. We go through our regular lives, while the cove runs red with blood. This slaughter is supported by the Japanese government, claiming that they are doing "pest control" and that the animals do not suffer and die "instantaneously" which is far from the truth.

Awareness needs to be raised about what is really going on in Taiji, Japan, and action needs to be taken. We are their only hope. If you have not heard of this before or are interested in learning more, I strongly encourage you to watch the documentary The Cove, which takes you directly to Taiji, Japan, with Ric O'Barry, founder of The Dolphin Project, an organization dedicated to ending this slaughter and helping dolphins worldwide. These dolphins are dying right at this moment and it's time we put an end to it. Check out the Dolphin Project and all the ways you can help these helpless dolphins today.