Hundreds Of Whales And Dolphins Killed In The Controversial Annual Hunt On The Faroe Islands

The controversial annual hunt on the Faroe Islands has sent shock waves across the globe. Known as Grindadr¨¢p, or Grind, the yearly festival has left hundreds of pilot whales and dolphins slaughtered in the shallow waters after fishermen lured them from the deep sea.

SIPA/ILIC

The people on the shore received the animals and killed them with their hands, turning the waters into a hue of red. After the mammals were slaughtered, their meat and blubber were distributed among the people of the Islands.

SIPA/ILIC

The practice has been long condemned. PETA UK wrote on its website-

"Metal hooks are driven into the stranded mammals' blowholes before their spines are cut. The animals slowly bleed to death. Whole families are slaughtered, and some whales swim around in their family members¡¯ blood for hours. Whales and dolphins are highly intelligent creatures and feel pain and fear every bit as much as we do."

SIPA/ILIC

According to 2012 study, 838 pilot whales and dolphins are killed on an average every year by the Islanders, reports RT.

sipa/ilic

The Faroe Islands are an autonomous territory in the North Atlantic but form a part of the Kingdom of Denmark. Denmark joined the EU in 1973 but the Islands chose to remain outside the bloc. Hence, the EU laws that ban the killing of whales and dolphins do not apply to the Islands.