A Japanese town made famous by its gory annual dolphin hunt may set up a dolphin breeding farm, but has no plans to call an end to the controversial hunt.
The Mayor of the western port town Taiji announced the plans in response to the decision made by Japanese zoos and aquariums to stop buying dolphins caught in the wild from the town.
The country's zoos and aquariums decided to stop trading with the port town - which was featured in the Oscar-winning 2009 documentary 'The Cove' - in response to foreign pressure.
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A Risso's dolphin, named Shiro, jumps in front of holidaymakers in a small ocean cove in the western Japanese town of Taiji. The town plans to launch a breeding farm for the animals
Mayor of Taiji, Kazutaka Sangen, announced the plans for the breeding programme at a press conference in Tokyo
Japan was threatened with expulsion from the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums unless it stopped buying dolphins from Taiji.
This would have meant that Japan might lose access to zoo animals such as elephants and giraffes from abroad.
But Taiji may suffer a loss of income following the decision, and is considering setting up the dolphin breeding centre to win back customers who want to buy live animals.
Taiji - in the Higashimuro district - has become notorious for its gory annual dolphin hunt, which sees more than 1,000 dolphins slaughtered in its cove every year.
In 2013, 1,239 dolphins were caught in the Taiji hunt, according to the Fisheries Agency.
Most were killing for their meat but 172 were sold alive, mainly overseas, at a price of at least $8,200 each.
FIshermen work on a boat filled with the bodies of freshly caught dolphins, as a diver lift another body on to the boat. Taiji is notorious for its gory annual dolphin hunt which has been widely protested by animal rights organisations
Japanese fishermen catch dolphins as part of the annual hunt in Tiaji. Most of the animals caught are killed for their meat, but others are sold live to zoos and aquariums. But Japan has announced that it will no longer buy dolphins from Taiji相关的主题文章:
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