Marine mammals do not belong in captivity for the sole purpose of entertaining humans with unnatural tricks, all for the benefit of a multi million dollar industry that is the driving force behind the capture and slaughter of thousands of cetaceans each year. We want to send a strong message to FedEx that we do not support the companies that deliver these wild marine mammals to swim with programs, private owners, and marine amusement parks.
Currently, there is growing opposition to the capture of cetaceans for the private and entertainment industry and the slaughter of entire family units of cetaceans. It is becoming clear that the demand for live cetaceans in the entertainment industry is the driving force behind the roundup and slaughter of thousands of bottlenose, spotted, Rissos, and Pacific white sided dolphins, pilot whales, and other cetaceans in Taiji, Japan. Crucial to this growing industry is the mechanism of transport of captured cetaceans, and FedEx is one of the largest worldwide couriers that we believe may be party to this industry. A phone call in 2011 to the FedEx corporate office in Tennessee and follow up letter to Sandra Munoz, the FedEx public relations representative, failed to shed any light on FedEx's policy on the transport of marine mammals to the entertainment industry or to private ownership, and in fact the caller was told that FedEx was “wary of people who call and complain about the transport of marine mammals to places like Seaworld”. While we appreciate the caution that FedEx claims to exercise when transporting live marine mammals, and it is without a doubt that FedEx's services are invaluable to marine mammal rescue and rehabilitation centers, we are concerned that FedEx is transporting cetaceans captured during the annual dolphin drive in Taiji, Japan, to entertainment parks, swim with programs, and to private owners. We are asking FedEx to cease transporting cetaceans captured from the Taiji drives, we are asking FedEx to cease transporting live marine mammals to the entertainment industry and to private owners, and we are asking FedEx to develop a policy whereby FedEx will only transport rescued marine mammals to certified rescue centers whose purpose is for rehabilitation and release back into the wild.
