Taiji, Japan - As dawn breaks over the rocky cliffs of Taiji on February 9, a posse of Texan cowboys will take up position along an unforgiving shoreline. The team of five, known as Texas to Taiji, include Chasity Reed, Eric Anderson, Ashley McDaniel, Stacey Stateham and Jeff Henley. They have traveled thousands of miles by plane, train and automobile -- all at their own expense -- to document the slaughter of dolphins in the infamous “Cove” made famous by the 2010 Academy award winning documentary of the same name. This is no pleasure trip.
Leading the quintet is Chasity Reed, the 5’4” vegan Chapter Coordinator for Sea Shepherd Dallas. Her fiery red hair tucked inside a Stetson hat, Reed is determined to shine a light on the horrors of a coastal Japanese village whose economy is built around the blood and suffering of marine mammals. Said Reed, “Only in Taiji, Japan, can you pay to watch captive dolphins perform at The Whale Museum, pick-up fresh dolphin meat at the grocery, and swim with a captive dolphin at Dolphin Base Resort -- all the while dolphins are being speared to death in the nearby Cove.”
It was a chance encounter with a captive orca whale in the late 1990's that set Reed on the course that would eventually bring her to Taiji. “While living in California, I visited SeaWorld in San Diego. I was in complete awe of the dolphins and orcas. I went several times, but on the final visit, I came pretty close to a female orca named Corky.....” Reed’s voice trails off and catches for a moment. She takes a deep breath and continues, “I saw sadness in her eyes, an overwhelming sense of pain filled me, and I swore to never go back. I realized in that moment, that these animals did not belong in captivity. Years later, I learned of the mass slaughters of dolphins in Taiji. That is when I put it all together. It’s the captive industry that fuels these slaughters. I knew then that I had to do my part to help end the slaughter and educate people about the captive industry. Trust me, it is not all the smiles and glee that the captive industry promotes. It is anything but that.”
Like so many others, Reed was deeply impacted by The Cove movie, “I was writing and calling the Japanese Embassies...but I needed to do more.” She continued, “I became part of the Administrative team of Save Misty the Dolphin. This is a social media campaign that works to spread awareness about the plight of the Taiji dolphins. Our role at Misty is to support activists on the ground by sharing their updates, pictures and videos, and by providing people with tools necessary to take action. As an Administrator on Misty, I follow the activities on the ground in Taiji via real-time reports from volunteers with Sea Shepherd Conservation Society and Save Japan Dolphins, and then share these reports via our various media channels including facebook, twitter and our blog." Throughout their time in Taiji, Reed and her Texas-to-Taiji team plan to utilize social media to provide live updates from the Cove.
While Reed has been a longtime marine mammal activist, the tipping point that brought her and her team to Japan was the December 2011 arrest of Sea Shepherd Cove Guardian Erwin Vermeulen. A Dutch citizen, Vermeulen is charged with pushing a dolphin trainer. There were no witnesses. Vermeulen, who maintains his innocence, has been in jail since December 16. His trial, presently underway, resumes on February 16, with a verdict expected by February 22. If found guilty, he could face up to two years in prison.
"When I heard about Erwin," said Reed, “I knew that it was time. I knew I had to go to Taiji and stand-up for what I believe in.” To find out how you can join Reed and the SeaShepherd Cove Guardian Operation Infinite Patience team in Taiji, contact Scott West, Campaign Coordinator at coveguardian@seashepherd.org
