The sea turns red with the blood of slaughtered pilot whales
The sea has turned red with blood after the Faroe Islanders slaughtered pilot whales again, driving hundreds into the shallows and slaughtering them with knives in a gruesome ‘grindadrap’ hunt.
The fishermen resumed the controversial hunt in May and since then Denmark’s autonomous region in the North Atlantic has killed more than 500 pilot whales, officials there said today.
In the 1,000-year-old Faroese tradition known as ‘grindadrap’, or ‘gravel’ for short, hunters surround pilot whales and dolphins with a wide semicircle of fishing boats and herd them into a shallow bay where they lie on the beach.
The fishermen then brutally slaughter them with knives on shore.
Each summer, images of the bloody hunt make headlines around the world, but the tradition is strongly condemned by outraged animal rights defenders who consider the practice barbaric.
The sea has turned red with blood after Faroe islanders slaughtered pilot whales again yesterday
The tradition that takes place every summer has been widely condemned by animal rights groups
Hunters surround pilot whales and dolphins with a wide semicircle of fishing boats and drive them into a shallow bay where they are stranded on the beach and slaughtered
John Hourston, founder of Blue Planet Society, condemned the latest hunt, calling it “a horrifying day, even by Faroese standards.” He described it as “unnecessary and unimaginable cruelty.”
Speaking to MailOnline, Mr Hourston added: ‘It is unsustainable and unnecessary. This wealthy country no longer needs to kill whales to feed its population. We are in the midst of a biodiversity and climate crisis. It is time for international sanctions against this ecocide.’
A spokesman for the Faroese government confirmed today: “Yesterday there were two grinds, one with 266 catches and the other with 180, according to initial reports.”
The two grinds, which involved a species of dolphin known as pilot whales, bring the number of grinds so far this season to five.
Environmental NGO Sea Shepherd, which succeeded in disrupting the 2014 hunt with its boats, criticized the fact that Danish naval vessels are authorized to intervene to prevent environmentalists from disrupting the hunt.
But the hunt still enjoys widespread support in the Faroe Islands, where supporters point out that the animals have fed locals for centuries and accuse media and foreign NGOs of disrespecting local culture and traditions.
They typically kill about 800 pilot whales per year.
In 2022, the government capped the number of Atlantic white-sided dolphins that could be killed per year to 500 after an unusually large cull of more than 1,400 caused an uproar, even among locals.
In 2022, the government will limit the number of Atlantic white-sided dolphins that can be killed per year to 500
The unusually large slaughter of more than 1,400 pilot whales last year sparked protests, even among locals
The two ‘grinds’, which involved a species of dolphin known as pilot whales, bring the number of ‘grinds’ so far this season to five
“Yesterday there were two grinds, one with 266 catches and the other with 180, according to initial reports,” said a spokesman for the Faroese government.
Dozens of fishermen gather to participate in the 1,000-year-long tradition in the autonomous area of Denmark
Environmental NGO Sea Shepherd, which disrupted the hunt with its boats in 2014, condemned the latest killings
This year again, shocking images have emerged of the sea that has been turned into deep red waters by the blood of the slaughtered pilot whales.
Dozens of fishermen could be seen taking to the water, while others dragged the lifeless bodies ashore.
Dozens of dead pilot whales were seen hanging from boats and lying on the banks after several more attacks this year.
The slaughter is a cultural mainstay of the autonomous Danish territory, done to provide the archipelago with meat for the coming year.
Sea Shepherd has condemned the slaughter in a series of tweets, accusing fishermen of killing pregnant pilot whales and calves.
“This must end,” they added.