Japan, West see dolphins differently

TAIJI, Japan, Feb. 11 (UPI) -- A former trainer for U.S. TV's "Flipper" says Taiji, Japan, is ground zero for the largest dolphin slaughter on Earth.

Ric O'Barry, 68, is a retired dolphin trainer from Miami who makes a second home in Taiji, CNN reported Monday.

O'Barry said he sometimes dresses as a woman or wears a large surgical mask to help disguise him while trying to videotape fishermen killing dolphins -- all to raise international awareness of the dolphin kills.

"This here is ground zero for the largest slaughter of dolphins on planet Earth," says O'Barry, who trained five dolphins to play "Flipper" on the TV series of that name. "It's absolutely barbaric and it needs to stop."

CNN said fishermen hunt dolphins about every day in the Southwestern Japanese town of about 3,000.

Those in Taiji say they know that their hunting runs counter to Western beliefs, but dolphin hunting is a time-honored tradition for them.

"I know there are many different ways of thinking in different societies, but for us who've been eating this for a long time ... it's an awkward thing to be criticized for," said Kayoko Tanaka, a retired middle school teacher. "I either fry dolphin meat or turn it into a stew."