The Faroe Islands’ biggest ever dolphin massacre as fishermen kill 1,428 animals in traditional hunt
The Faroe Islands’ biggest ever dolphin massacre: Fishermen kill 1,428 animals – FORTY TIMES the usual death tool – after herding them into harbour for annual Grindadrap hunt
The tradition which dates back to the 9th century sees boats driving the animals towards the shore There hunters await in the shallows with hooks, knives and spears to kill the Atlantic White Sided DolphinsActivists have condemned the practice as ‘barbaric’ but locals say it is an important part of their culture WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT
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Hunters in the Faroe Islands have slaughtered 1,428 dolphins this week in one of the largest ever recorded massacres, turning the sea red with blood as the beaches were lined with their corpses.
It is the biggest ever recorded death toll from the traditional four-century old annual hunt known as the Grindadrap or Grind in Faroese.
Islanders usually kill up to 1,000 sea mammals a year, according to data kept by the Faroe Islands. Last year, that included only 35 white-sided dolphins.
Boats drive the Atlantic White Sided Dolphins towards a bay on the shore of the island of Skálafjørður where men wait to kill the animals in the shallows with hooks, knives and spears as part of the local tradition.
Faroese are divided on the Grind but many urge foreign media and NGOs to respect their traditional island culture where fishing retains a central place and the meat is kept for food.
Animal rights activists have condemned the ‘barbaric’ practice but others say it is an important part of their local tradition.
The Grindadrap dates back to the 9th century when Norsemen first settled on the North Atlantic islands.
Some people in the Faroes who defend the slaughter worry that Sunday’s hunt will draw unwanted attention, because it was far larger than previous events and seemingly took place without the usual organisation.
Heri Petersen, the foreman of a group that drives pilot whales towards shore on the central Faroese island of Eysturoy, where the killings took place on Sunday, said he was not informed of the drive and “strongly dissociated” himself from it.
He told the web-based news outlet in.fo. that there were too many dolphins and too few people on the beach to slaughter them.
Olavur Sjurdarberg, chairman of the Faroese Pilot Whale Hunt Association, feared the slaughter would revive debate on the practice and put a negative spin on the ancient tradition peculiar to the 18 rocky islands located halfway between Scotland and Iceland.
The islands are semi-independent and part of the Danish realm.
Mr Sjurdarberg told local broadcaster KVF: “We need to keep in mind that we are not alone on earth. On the contrary, the world has become much smaller today, with everyone walking around with a camera in their pocket.
“This is a fabulous treat for those who want us badly when it comes to pilot whale catching.”
Hunters in the Faroe Islands have slaughtered 1,428 dolphins in one of the largest ever recorded massacres, turning the sea red with blood as the beaches were lined with their corpses
Boats drove the animals towards the shore of Skálafjørður where men waited in the shallows with hooks, knives and spears as part of the local tradition
The latest mass killing is the biggest ever documented in the Faroe Islands where locals take part in the carnage, known as the Grindadrap or Grind in Faroese
Faroese are divided on the Grind but many urge foreign media and NGOs to respect their traditional island culture where fishing retains a central place and the meat is kept for food
It remains the only form of aboriginal whaling still in existence in Western Europe.
According to Faroese law, pilot whales, bottlenose dolphins, white-beaked dolphins and harbour porpoises can also be hunted.
The meat and blubber from the animals is used for food and dates back to a time when locals were reliant on whale and dolphin meet to survive.
But a recent study found the meat contains mercury and is not recommended for regular consumption.
Whaling is governed by Faroese authorities and is not regulated by the International Whaling Commission because of disagreements over the body’s power to control the cetacean hunts.
Falling whale numbers led to an international moratorium on whaling in 1986 — but the International Whaling Commission still allows some ‘subsistence’ whaling.
Zero catch limits were established for all whaling but made an exception for aboriginal whaling because of its cultural importance and how the food is used exclusively by locals rather than being a commercial hunt.
There is also disagreement about whether smaller whales, among them pilot whales, should be covered by the ban.
Faroese law states the animals must die quickly and without suffering but that is not often the case.
Following mounting concerns over the practice, in 2015 the law was updated and hunters now have to attend a course where they learn how to properly slaughter animals with the spinal-cord lance.
Environmental charity Sea Shepherd regularly documents the killings which have resulted in the deaths of more than 8,000 whales and dolphins over the last decade.
The animal rights activists have been operating in the Faroes since the early 1980s, taking direct action against the Grind with their own boats.
Animal rights activists have condemned the ‘barbaric’ practice but others say it is an important part of their local tradition
The Grindadrap dates back to the 9th century when Norsemen first settled on the North Atlantic islands
The organisation’s chief operating officer Rob Read, 47, said: ‘This killing is of a whole other scale entirely – it is mind-blowingly unprecedented.
‘There is no need for the meat in Faroe Islands nowadays and it shouldn’t be happening, never mind in these numbers.
‘There were too many to kill humanely, if that’s even possible. These days it is little more than sport, using tradition as justification, and that’s why we campaign against it.’
Part of the kingdom of Denmark, the Faroe Islands are an archipelago which are situated 230 miles north-west of mainland Scotland.
Similar hunts are known to take place in Peru, Japan and the Soloman Islands.
Over the past three centuries, the Faroese have taken an average of 838 pilot whales each year, according to a 2012 study.
Rob said: ‘Many people aren’t even aware of this practice – it is such a cruel thing to do. In these killings, no animal is spared – adults, calves, and even pregnant mothers.
‘But this particular hunt is completely unprecedented on a scale never seen before in recent hunting history all over the world.’
‘It may well be the largest hunt ever, which is awful.
‘This is why we will never give up opposing it and we’re determined to raise awareness to make change.’
Environmental charity Sea Shepherd regularly documents the killings which have resulted in the deaths of more than 8,000 whales and dolphins over the last decade
The animal rights activists have been operating in the Faroes since the early 1980s, taking direct action against the Grind with their own boats
In 2015, changes to legislation prevented any Sea Shepherd boats from interrupting the hunt and so it launched a land-based crew to tackle the Grind by documenting it with photographers stationed on the shore and drones in the air.
Robert Read, chief operating officer at Sea Shepherd, said: ‘The grindadrap is a barbaric relic of a bygone age. A needless hunt of hundreds of pilot whales and dolphins which should have ended a century ago which is not needed to feed anyone on the islands.’
After a pod is located, the Faroese drive the animals often for many hours with recreational boats, fishing boats and sometimes even jet-skis together creating a ‘wall of sound’ from their boat engines to force the pod towards the nearest designated killing bay.
Men waiting in shallow waters rush into the sea, dragging the whales alive with ropes attached to gaff-hooks which they ram through the whale’s blowhole.
In 2015, changes to legislation prevented any Sea Shepherd boats from interrupting the hunt and so it launched a land-based crew to tackle the Grind
After a pod is located, the Faroese drive the animals often for many hours with recreational boats, fishing boats and sometimes even jet-skis
Men waiting in shallow waters rush into the sea, dragging the whales alive with ropes attached to gaff-hooks which they ram through the whale’s blowhole
Killers closer to shore then attempt to sever the whale’s spinal cord with a lance and then use a knife to cut down through the animal’s neck
It can take a long time before the last of the whales and dolphins are killed, left thrashing around in blood-filled waters while boats block any escape
The Faroe Veterinary Service calculated the average duration of killing during grindadrap hunts at 12.7 minutes, though Sea Shepherd crew often record killing taking well over 20 minutes
Killers closer to shore then attempt to sever the whale’s spinal cord with a lance and then use a knife to cut down through the animal’s neck.
It can take a long time before the last of the whales and dolphins are killed, left thrashing around in blood-filled waters while boats block any escape.
The Faroe Veterinary Service calculated the average duration of killing during grindadrap hunts at 12.7 minutes, though Sea Shepherd crew often record killing taking well over 20 minutes.
Despite calls for the hunt to end, the Faroese insist that it is sustainable and regulated by law.
In September 2018, Sea Shepherd even offered the islanders one million Euros for 10 consecutive years with no whale hunts.
