Following the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ (WAZA) decision to suspend the Japanese Association of Zoos and Aquariums (JAZA) over the body’s involvement in highly controversial Taiji dolphin hunts, the Japanese body is asking its members to vote on the continued procurement of dolphins using the controversial method.

Japan’s Taiji dolphin hunts have gained notoriety in recent times thanks to documentary film The Cove, which shows the brutal manner in which the highly-intelligent cetaceans are being hunted. JAZA represents aquariums that have taken dolphins from these hunts.

Around 30 of JAZA’s members have a combined total of 250 dolphins in their facilities, many of which were procured from the town of Taiji, whose fishermen forced the creatures into shallow waters before either slaughtering them or catching them for public display in aquariums. JAZA’s 152 members – 89 of which are zoos and 63 aquariums – will now vote on whether or not to continue the hunts.

If the majority of JAZA’s members vote to continue the practice, the body would almost certainly be kicked out of WAZA, meaning member organisations would lose access to a global database of rare animals.

“WAZA keeps a directory of the pedigree of animals, much like a resident registry for people,” said JAZA Secretary-General, Naonori Okada speaking to Japan Times. “If zoos keeping the lesser panda in Japan want to breed them with zoos overseas, or want to exchange animals, for example, they might encounter difficulty if they lose access to the database.”

WAZA has given the Japanese body until 21 May to stop the practice or face expulsion from the zoo authority.