Maisie Williams, known for her portrayal of Arya Stark on HBO’s Game of Thrones, is imploring fans and everyone else to stop buying tickets to marine animal shows.

MAISIE WILLIAMS PROTESTS CAGING OF DOLPHINS

Williams, 19, made a Skype recording from Taiji, Japan, where dolphin hunting is considered a tradition, to get her message across. “These animals travel the ocean. That’s what they explore daily,” she said. “No tank will be big enough, no tank will ever be deep enough, ever be exciting enough.”

The Oscar-winning documentary The Cove explored the dolphin hunting that takes place in Taiji, focusing on a specific pod that was ambushed and slaughtered for meat, keeping the best looking dolphins to sell to aquariums and dolphin shows.

The Cove, directed by Louis Psihoyos, was not widely seen in Japan, as many of the hunters in Taiji defend the custom as a tradition, despite dolphin meat consumption being very rare in the country. The film is now available for free streaming in Japan and in Japanese, after filmmakers rebought its distribution rights.

Williams currently serves as the global ambassador for the Dolphin Project campaign, run by Ric O’Barry, who was the dolphin trainer for the Flipper TV series. The 19-year-old is one of many celebrities to speak on this cause, including Brian May, Sting and Daryl Hannah. Williams hopes her fame and mass social media following will provide a platform for her protest.

“It was something that just struck a chord in my heart,” Williams explains. And I’m a firm believer that, if there is something that you really want to stand up and fight for, then you should. And with everyone doing their own little bit for what they believe in, hopefully together we can make the world a better place,” she said of her wish to save dolphins.

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Hillary Luehring-Jones

Article by Hillary Luehring-Jones

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