Jakarta – Non-governmental organization International Animal Rescue held a demonstration in front of the Japanese Embassy on Tuesday, urging its government to protect the dolphin.

In observance of International Dolphin Day, around 20 members of the group protested outside the embassy against the killing of dolphins for food.

Sudarno, the rally's coordinator, said that Japanese fishermen killed around more than 2,000 dolphins and whales each year, mostly around the Taiji coast.

"Before being slaughtered, the dolphins are taken offshore, where they are stabbed to death and their necks are cut, leaving the offshore water red with blood," he said. "We hope that the Japan government can immediately stop this brutal killing." In the protest, the activists performed a theatrical show displaying the way the dolphins were being killed. The demonstration, which took an hour, ended peacefully. The embassy did not respond to the protest.