BEIJING (Kyodo) Six dolphins have arrived in Beijing by air from Japan, Chinese state-run television reported Sunday.

China Central Television said the animals — two Pacific white-sided dolphins and four bottlenose dolphins — passed quarantine examination and were moved to Beijing's ocean park to begin a 30-day period of isolation and inspection.

It said each dolphin arrived in a special water tank 3 meters long and 1 meter wide.

Japanese in some remote coastal fishing communities kill or capture dolphins from September until April each year. Most are killed for their meat, but much higher prices can be fetched by selling live dolphins to aquariums around the world.