In November 2013, Angela and Natalie will be traveling to Taiji, Japan to stand vigil as part of Sea Shepherd Cove Guardian’s Operation Infinite Patience.
Each year from September to March over 20,000 dolphins are slaughtered in Japan.
Fishermen round them up by the hundreds using sound barriers to disorient and herd the frantic pods out of their normal migrations into hidden lagoons like the one featured in award winning film, The Cove.
Bottlenose dolphins, especially ones that look like Flipper, are pre-selected by trainers and sold off for upwards of $200,000 to marine mammal parks around the world, where they will remain in captivity.
After the trainers and spectators have left, the remaining dolphins are inhumanely killed in what can only be described as a massacre.
By having a constant presence in Taiji, individuals like ourselves are able to make a difference and help save the lives of dolphins.
The message we wish to send to the Japanese authorities is simple; ‘End the slaughter and we will leave.’
We are asking for donations from friends and family to cover our expenses/travel.
We have estimated it will cost around $3000 AUD each for us to travel to Japan and to cover our costs while we are in Taiji.
We need to make sure you know our solicitation is not affiliated with the non-profit organization Sea Shepherd and so if you do provide funds to us, they are not tax-deductible. Your contribution to our journey would be a personal gift and we thank you very much for considering it.
http://www.gofundme.com/TaijiDolphinWarriors
Angela, a one time vet nurse and now general nurse, grew up on a small property in Perth, Tasmania after spending a couple of years in WA. Her earliest memories of extreme animal brutality were from the age of 4 when she visited a whaling station in Western Australia. “The sight of those majestic, gentle beings split apart by the butchers & the smell of death & torture stayed with me…..It’s still so vivid” she recounts. Angela was born with a naturally intense animal kinship & “indigo child” qualities. Her first significant protest was against a battery hen farmer in Tasmania at the tender age of 13. Savvy, stoic & fearless, she had the farmer re-think his values within minutes. Her advocacy for animal welfare is unwavering & she has faced off with many perpetrators & saved countless animals in the process. “It’s simply my way of life; I am instinctively proactive.” Growing up on a small property, slaughter day was her ultimate dread. She often released the animals prior to “D day” & brazenly faced the consequences, often rehoming live-stock. Such is the strength of her conviction as a vegan, animal activist & educator on those topics. She founded a web-page in 2011 ( www.facebook.com/veganwarriors ) which she runs as an educational platform for the plight of animals. Angela has been involved in many rescues through direct action, covert rescue missions and networking & has hand reared many wallabies, kangaroos, lambs and birds. A deeply compassionate person with a creative bent for graphic art, drawing, writing and public speaking, she will stop at nothing to impact change. “It’s really about educating people and empowering them to reconnect with nature. The disconnect occurs post childhood for many people. The natural love, deep connection and compassion for animals ebbs away incrementally as we become bombarded with lies & social conditioning. What is occurring in Taiji is a prime example of that disconnect on an epic & incomprehensible scale. We are going to stand vigil for the cetaceans in that beautiful cove in Japan, peacefully protest, educate, document & share our findings via media attention. Taiji is simply a microcosm of a larger global issue pertaining to the treatment of non-human animals. We, as activists, are working together towards significant change for the future of all earthlings. Our aim in not just to achieve a moral & ethical precedent but also a legal one. Stand with us in solidarity and please support this cause by sharing and donating in good faith”. http://www.gofundme.com/TaijiDolphinWarriors
Natalie is a self-confessed Lover, Dreamer, Poet, Writer and Animal Activist. Ever since she was a little girl living on the same street as Taronga Zoo, Sydney, Natalie has felt an affinity with animals. A former vet nurse, Natalie’s childhood imaginary friend was a duck and her current best friend is her four year old pure-bred mongrel, Indi, whom she rescued from the Hobart Dog’s Home. Despite the violation of rights that human beings commit against both their own kind, and non-human animals, Natalie has faith in the human “good” and believes in a world where everyone is given the respect and safety that they deserve. She is committed to being a voice for the voiceless and will always fight for the rights of our animal friends, through veganism, animal advocacy and direct action, like standing vigil in Japan. “If your dreams do not scare you, they are not big enough.” ― Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. She does a little happy dance every time someone makes a donation to www.gofundme.com/TaijiDolphinWarriors.
