The Japanese aquarium association has announced that members can be expelled for acquiring dolphins caught in drive hunts.
The penalty, which was announced Friday, is part of new punitive measures the Japanese Association of Zoos and Aquariums will introduce for breaking its recent ban on acquiring such dolphins, which are caught by using a technique that has been criticized internationally as cruel. JAZA also plans to require members to submit certificates stating where their dolphins were bought.
JAZA decided to prohibit members from acquiring dolphins caught in drive hunts off the whaling town of Taiji after being threatened with expulsion from the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums. The body suspended JAZA's membership in May, saying such purchases violated its code of ethics and animal welfare.