Let's put a stop to dolphins slaughtering!

AUSTRALIANS are flocking to back a global campaign begging Japan to stop its brutal slaughter of dolphins and whales.

At the forefront of the push is a video circulating the internet that graphically portrays the inhumane killing of dolphins by the Japanese for meat and "research", accompanied by a petition which has already attracted more than a million signatures.

You can view the clip and sign the petition by following the link below.

Narrated by Hollywood actor Joaquin Phoenix, the disturbing film shows hundreds of dolphins being slaughtered in the Japanese port of Taiji. In scenes reminiscent of the "scientific" killing of whales by the Japanese which continues to cause waves of outrage around the world, the footage shows the endangered mammals being round up, hacked with knives and writhing to death on a bloody factory floor.

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This week, more than one million signatures had been collected by the video’s author, Pedro Oliveira, who is petitioning the Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to stop the slaughter.

“Corralling the dolphins into bays, then making them suffer a long and painful death by spears, hooks, and drowning is an inhumane way of fishing,” Oliveira’s petition states. “We demand that Japan permanently and immediately renounce and stop this slaughter. We will work diligently to bring this issue to international light until you have ceased your reprehensible violence.”

Hundreds of Australians have now added their names to the list, joining concerned citizens from all over the world. Jason Doudle, 28, from Australia writes: “I have lived in Japan and I respect and honour your people and culture, but this cruel practice has to STOP!!” Dolphin meat, a delicacy, is often mislabelled as whale meat to attract a higher price in Japan. It is eaten in a 'sukuyaki' pot, or as raw sashimi. The Japanese currently kill 20,000 whales and dolphins a year.

The fishermen circle a pod of dolphins and injure a few captives by spear thrust or knife slash to retain the group, as dolphins will never abandon an injured family member. Hard-line conservationists from Sea Shepherd and other animal rights groups say they have been banned from approaching or filming in the areas where dolphins are killed. Since September 2004, Sea Shepherd has offered a reward of $10,000 to encourage people, including citizens of Japan, to document the killing.

To view the confronting film click here.

Sign the petition http://www.petitiononline.com/golfinho/petition.html