Kagawa: Video of 3 Dolphins Picking Up Garbage Goes Viral; Staff Trained Them to Exchange Trash for Food
15:22 JST, April 13, 2024
SANUKI, Kagawa — Three bottlenose dolphins kept in an oceanfront facility in Sanuki, Kagawa Prefecture, have become popular for picking up trash drifting in the ocean.
The dolphins are kept in an enclosure about 20 meters long, 40 meters wide and 7 meters deep at the Japan Dolphin Center, where visitors can learn about dolphin ecology and swim with them.
Garbage such as plastic bags, bottles and packages flows into the enclosure through gaps in the netting or from above despite staff cleaning the area each morning. The dolphins grab the garbage with their mouths and give it to the staff.
In the past, a dolphin became ill after swallowing plastic garbage, so the staff trained the dolphins to exchange garbage for food. The dolphins are now able to find plastic debris as small as 1.5 centimeters square. A video of the dolphins picking up garbage has gone viral on social media.
"Features" POPULAR ARTICLE
-
Liven Up the Dinner Table With Homemade Ham
-
Diamond Fuji Observed in Shizuoka Pref., Attracting Photographers
-
Vows to be ‘Ambitious’ at Hokkaido Statue Hit 100,000; Famous Quote Attributed to Sapporo Agricultural College Professor Clark Lives On
-
Okayama: Distinctive Coworking Space Supervised by Architect Kengo Kuma Opens
-
Asakusa Underground Shopping Street the Japan’s Oldest Underground Mall
JN ACCESS RANKING
- Weakening Yen Adds Complexity to BOJ’s Rate Hike Decisions; Rising Commodity Prices may Impact ‘Virtuous Cycle’ Efforts
- 70% of Japan Companies to Raise Pay Scales in FY 2024
- Core Consumer Prices Rise 2.8% in Fiscal 2023
- 48.6% of Global Patent Applications Related to All-Solid-State Batteries Came from Japanese Firms; Panasonic Tops List
- U.S. 7th Fleet officer Arrested on Suspicion of Stealing Sushi, Sashimi, Chicken at Kanagawa Shopping Mall; Suspect Caught Mid-Meal