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Heartbreaking moment dolphins swim close and comfort one another before hunters move in to slaughter them

The pod of dolphins was seen swimming in a tight circle with the matriarch circling around and "rubbing up against members of her family."
UPDATED MAR 30, 2020
(Getty Images)
(Getty Images)

A heartbreaking video posted online by a non-profit charity showed a pod of dolphins attempting to comfort each other before hunters came in and slaughtered the family, taking some of them into captivity. The video was recorded by US charity Dolphin Project, an organization dedicated to the welfare and protection of dolphins worldwide, in a cove near Taiji, Japan. 

The charity observers said that as the pod awaited the inevitable, they were seen swimming in a tight circle with the matriarch circling around and "rubbing up against members of her family." Some divers, the following day, went into the water and selected eight of the animals to be taken into captivity. The rest of the dolphins were slaughtered.

"One of the most difficult scenes to watch unfolded in the waters of the Cove. Yesterday, a nursery pod of pilot whales was ruthlessly hunted for hours and then driven into the shallow waters. Exhausted and traumatized, the family surfaced and spy hopped as they caught their breath," the Dolphin Project wrote. "Once the nets were dropped and their fate was sealed, they swam in a tight circle, always touching one another. Their beautiful matriarch could be also be seen swimming around them, always rubbing up against members of her family. Without food or shelter, hunters left the family alone overnight."

The clip recorded of the incident showed the water frothing as some of the dolphins were forced into slings attached to the sides of the boats and were taken away. Meanwhile, the rest of the dolphins were killed and their bodies were seen slung under the bows of the boats so they could be taken away for food, reports state.

The slaughtered animals included the mother who spent the night comforting her brood. The port of Taiji witnesses similar scenes every year from the beginning of September until late February. This is the period when dolphins are legally hunted by fishermen who are given permits to do so from the Japanese government. Reports state that fishermen typically use metal poles inserted into the water which are then struck with hammers to create a "wall of sound" that confuses the dolphins and drives them into a cove.  

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