Whaling The Faroe Islands Grind Photo credit: Sea Shepherd The Faroe Islands, a territory of Denmark, brutally slaughters hundreds of pilot whales and other species, including bottlenose dolphins, Risso’s dolphins, Atlantic white-sided dolphins and northern bottlenose whales. Entire families are driven into shallow water. Once stranded, blunt-ended metal gaff hooks are beaten into their blowholes and used to drag the whales up the beach where they are killed by hand with knives. The meat is divided up among locals, but often it’s left to rot on the beach. Photo credit: Sea Shepherd The long-finned pilot whale is listed in Appendix II of Convention on Migratory Species (CMS), which means that the species could become threatened with extinction unless hunting is closely controlled. Claims of ‘tradition’ and concerns that their sovereignty is being challenged insure that the slaughter continues – with the aid of the Danish Navy. One supporter of the slaughter sent a message to Captain Paul Watson of Sea Shepherd saying, “We could show ISIS a thing or two about decapitation, you whale-loving bastards.” Photo credit: Sea Shepherd The whale meat is not needed by citizens for food and citizens are warned that eating whale and dolphin meat is hazardous to their health. Long term independent studies of Faroe Islands children directly link neurological, cardiovascular, and developmental problems, as well as immune system compromise, to prenatal consumption of whale meat of their mothers. Parkinson’s disease in adults has recently been linked with eating whale meat. In 2008, the Faroe Islands’ Chief Medical Officer and Chief Physician wrote an open letter to the Government stating that it “is recommended that pilot whale is no longer used for human consumption” due to toxic contaminants such as arsenic, cadmium, zinc, lead, copper mercury, and selenium. In spite of all opposition and health hazards, the Grind continues each year. Clive Standen, star of the History Channel’s “Vikings” speaks out against the continued barbaric slaughter of pilot whales and dolphins in the Faroe Islands. Learn more: WDC The Cruel Grind The Murder of the Whales, Courtesy of the Royal Danish Navy Denmark must stop the Faroe Islands cetacean slaughter
