Dolphin activists plan to occupy the Japanese Embassy in Miami

Miami - In a play on the Occupy Wall Street movement, dolphin activists are planning a demonstration outside the Consulate General of Japan in Miami next week, to protest the ongoing slaughter of dolphins in Taiji.

According to Occupy Wall Street.org, since the movement first began on September 17, 2011, it has spread to "over 100 cities in the United States and actions in over 1,500 cities globally", and now the grassroots protest which urged global change, has inspired a growing group of animal activists eager to take up the cause for cetaceans in Japan.

The cause began a few months back with 'Occupy The Cove', which was formed by an international group of dolphin lovers on Facebook. Their idea was to symbolically occupy a cove in Taiji, Japan, used to capture dolphins. Since then, the movement has expanded and exploded across the social media site, with events being planned around the world. The latest event, 'Occupy the Japanese Embassy', will take place in Miami next week.

The protest is being organized by activist Barbara Napoles, producer of the above video captured earlier this year at the Miami Seaquarium. In 2005, Napoles was watching the local news when an appeal was issued by the Marine Mammal Conservancy (MMC) of Key Largo, asking for volunteers to help 80 rough-toothed dolphins who had stranded themselves on the sand flats in Marathon, Florida. Always an animal lover, Napoles felt compelled to help and credits this event for launching her career as an activist and creating a "one-woman band on a mission."

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