Former dolphin trainer Ric O’Barry sets out to set things right. In the 1960s, he captured and trained 5 wild dolphins in the hit international television sensation “Flipper”. It was this show that fueled widespread public adoration of dolphins, influencing the development of marine parks that started to include dolphins in their attractions. It was one fateful day that O’Barry had a radical change of heart, as one of his dolphins committed a form of suicide in his arms by closing her blowhole voluntarily in order to suffocate. It broke his heart and dawned on him that dolphins should never be subjected to captivity. Since then, he proclaimed to be a full-time advocate on behalf of dolphins around the world.

This film follows O’Barry’s quest to document the dolphin hunting operations in Taiji, Japan. It aims to raise awareness, and is a call for action to stop the mass dolphin kills. It also aims to inform and educate the public about the risks hazards of the consumption of dolphin meat such as mercury poisoning. The film highlights the fact that an estimated 23,000 dolphins are killed in Japan every year.

When the crew reached Taiji, they were shadowed and questioned by the local police. Wires and “keep out” signs surrounded a nearby remote cove in Taiji. It was there, that fishermen engage in a brutal unseen dolphin hunt under the cover of night. Driven by the multi-billion dolphin entertainment industry and a market for dolphin meat, these fishermen resorted to inhumane ways to hunt and capture the dolphins. They took advantage of the dolphins’ sensitivity to sound, and used sonar and loud noises to herd migrating dolphins into the cove where they are netted and killed by means of spears and knives over the side of small fishing boats.

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(Danshyna, 2012)

According to the film, the local Japanese government are involved in the hiding of this dolphin hunt. Any attempts to view of film the dolphin hunt in the cove are aggressively blocked by the local police. Anyone straying too close to the cove also get violently chased away.

O’Barry and his crew penetrated the tight security and sneaked around the Taiji secret cove to obtain forbidden footages of the dolphin hunt. They made use of underwater microphones and cameras disguised as rocks to film portions of the documentary.

The Cove is a heartbreaking and impactful documentary, and it will definitely make you think twice about patronizing marine parks with dolphins attractions and performances. This controversial annual dolphin drive hunt has gained significant media attention worldwide.

Watch the trailer here: