Ric O'Barry, founder of The Dolphin Project and star of the 2009 film "The Cove," was in Japan to witness the first days of the Taiji dolphin hunt on Friday. And an encounter he had with one of the victims left even a veteran like him shaken.

In the video, a panicked family of Risso's dolphins is shown swimming frantically around a tiny sea pen, having been herded from the deeper waters into the makeshift slaughterhouse. 

They swim up and down the enclosure, tangling themselves in the netted walls as they seek to escape — a few swim beneath the nets but end up on the side close to shore instead of the open ocean.

One stricken animal, overwhelmed by fear, seems to intuitively recognize a friend. He… 

throws himself on the rocky shore at O'Barry's feet, desperately thrashing and rolling onto his back as he tries to escape.

This heartbreaking scene went viral and has caused a lot of controversy over the internet ever since the footage was released.

Watch the video below, comment your thoughts and opinion in the commenting section below the clip and help spread awareness by sharing this article on social media.