On May 17, court hearings began on halting dolphin hunting in the western Japanese town of Taiji. Taiji has long maintained that the hunts, which involve driving hundreds of dolphins into coves and clubbing then to death, are a traditional part of its livelihood as the town has hunted dolphins and whales for thousands of years. An animal welfare group, a marine activist, and a man who grew up in Taiji filed suit, arguing that dolphins are protected under Japanese animal welfare laws, but are subjected to "extreme acts of cruelty" in these hunts. They also allege that the fishermen involved in the hunts have violated their hunting permits by catching more dolphins than their permits allow. For the full story, see https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-japan-dolphins/hearings-begin-to-halt….