Outrage Over Annual Slaughter of 250 Whales in Faroe Islands

Jack Phillips
Updated:

(Google Maps)
Google Maps

Animal rights activists say that more than 250 whales are killed every year in the “grindadráp,” which is a traditional hunt involving the herding of whales. They’re then slaughtered. Whaling in the region goes back to the earliest Norse settlements from more than 1,000 years ago, and the community-organized hunts date to at least the 16th century, according to The Local. 

youngdolphinthumbnail

Critics say the hunt is cruel and unnecessary.

Proponents of the hunt say that it’s regulated and the average annual catches don’t endanger the whale population in the long-term, according to EuroNews.

Pilot whales are not considered endangered.

spermwhalesthumbnail

Sea Shepherd, a militant conservation organization, said: “As many as 1,000 long-finned pilot whales are brutally killed in the Faroe Islands each year.

“The slaughter occurs mainly during the summer months in so-called ’traditional‘ communal drive hunts that locals refer to as ’grindadráp‘ or simply, ’the grind’, but more accurately this practice should be called what it truly is – mass slaughter.”

In a report from Sea Shepherd last year, there was at least one pregnant calf mother who was killed and ripped open during the hunt. It was photographed by the conservation group.

The slaughter [only] proceeded with the full consent of the Danish navy.

“It was perfectly clear that the Danish navy ships Triton and Knud Rasmussen were present to guard one grindadráp, and that the slaughter [only] proceeded with the full consent of the Danish navy,” Wyanda Lublink, captain of the Sea Shepherd boat Brigitte Bardot, told The Guardian.

Jack Phillips
Jack Phillips
Breaking News Reporter
Jack Phillips is a breaking news reporter who covers a range of topics, including politics, U.S., and health news. A father of two, Jack grew up in California's Central Valley. Follow him on X: https://twitter.com/jackphillips5
twitter
Related Topics