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The Whale Museum in Taimachidi is a "distribution center" for dolphins and whales in many national aquariums in the world. Of those whales and dolphins that are caught, only a small number of individuals with graceful bodies, perfect IQs, and well-developed individuals can be "fortunately" sent to the aquarium. The remaining part will suffer a tragic fate.
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Relevant data show that every year the Japanese kill 23,000 dolphins for food. However, data provided by the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture indicated that only 13,080 cetaceans were killed in 2007-including dolphins and whales of various species.
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Dolphins are not fish, but mammals.
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The film’s director, Louis Pishos, used to be the photographer of National Geographic. This film is his directorial debut.
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The central character of the film, Ric O'Berry, was once the most authoritative dolphin training expert in the 1960s. He is also the most famous dolphin phonologist today. He once produced the classic TV show Flipper.
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Louis Pishos is a semi-vegetarian and he also eats fish. But after filming the film, he didn't even eat fish and became a complete vegetarian. Even the belts and leather clothes were "abandoned" by him.
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The Japanese have a long history of hunting and hunting dolphins. In their recipes, dolphin meat has always been an important dish.
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The film was screened at the 2009 Tokyo International Film Festival.
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The Japanese government once had a "school lunch program" in which dolphin meat was listed in the Chinese food recipe. But after the film, this dish was cancelled.
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Canadian freediving female champion Mandy Rae-Cruickshank and her husband freediving instructor Kirk Krack participated in the filming.
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The director found the head of the model production department of Industrial Light and Magic Company. With his help, the crew made a fake rock that could hide the camera.
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The terrain of Taimachi Land is complex, surrounded by mountains on three sides, with only one entrance, and it is also protected by barbed wire, guards and police dogs. The crew only chose to "over the wall" at night.
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The entire camera crew was closely monitored around the clock.
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Since Japan did not grant a filming license, the film was actually shot "illegal."
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When filming at night, the entire crew will "arm" themselves like special forces, with oil paint on their faces and camouflage uniforms, and sneak into Tai Chi to shoot.
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The heat-free infrared camera used by the crew at night is a military product. As long as there is a pulse signal, this camera can record it.
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The ending song of the film is Hero composed by David Bowie in 1977. The first line of the song is II wish you could swim, Like the dolphins.
The Cove behind the scenes gags
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Kole 2022-03-26 09:01:08
I saw a popular short comment saying "Are other animals that are killed and eaten inferior to dolphins?", I really doubt you have watched this documentary. Dolphin meat is not the staple meat, and excessive consumption can lead to mercury poisoning. The Japanese deputy minister in the film was poisoned by mercury. There is an industrial chain behind Japan's slaughtering of dolphins and catching dolphins, in which the government participates in dividends (especially the sale of dolphins for performances to aquariums around the world, and this type of dolphins is best if they are female dolphins of a certain age, and the rest that do not meet the standards will be punished by massacre). This is a kind of creature that is extremely friendly and gentle to humans. There is absolutely no need for us to eat it. Even if it is eaten, there is no benefit. Why do you compare it with edible animals? I can't eat dogs, and I refuse to eat dolphins when I go to Japan, for the simple reason that both creatures can form true friendships with humans and be in the company of each other. This has nothing to do with high or low, but the human instinct to pay attention to emotions. Although in the face of interests, slaughterers have always selectively forgotten this instinct. In 2020, the relationship between human beings and nature is so tense, it is time to learn to restrain.
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Zackery 2022-03-21 09:02:25
The ugliness and insatiableness of human nature
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Mandy-Rae Cruikshank: When you're out swimming in the ocean and you have whales and dolphins come by you, it is one of the most incredible experiences ever. It's so humbling that this wild creature would come up and be so interested in you. It's... It's unbelievable, really.
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John Potter: As a scientist, I'm trained to recognize intelligence through objective measures... tool use, cognitive processes, and so on. As a human being, when I see a dolphin looking at me and his eyes tracking me and I lock eyes with that animal, there's a human response that makes it undeniable that I'm connecting with an intelligent being.