Gruesome Whale and Dolphin Bloodletting Massacre in Europe
Pilot whales writhing and thrashing about madly in shallow waters, the ruby-red sea drenched with their blood and no means or hope for the creatures to escape from their captors — it’s the blood-bath scene of a massacre for an age-old tradition of the coming of age, the mark of transition from childhood to adulthood, in the archipelago of the Faroe Islands.
While not much speaks of the tradition itself, the atrocious slaughter nonetheless does occur in the Faroes, and has been practiced since at least the 10th century. Nearly 1,000 are killed annually in the “grindadráp” — whale hunt — typically occurring during summer months.
These highly social animals travel in pods of up to 200, following their favorite meals — preys of squid and mackerel.
As schools of whales are spotted in the narrow channels and fjords, messengers spread the news among the islanders, and a bonfire is lit at a specific location to inform those on the neighboring island where the same pattern then is followed. Others use cell phones and various further methods of communication to ready the islanders for the hunt.
They rush to their boats to surround the creatures in a wide semi-circle. On the whaling-foreman’s signal, stones attached to lines are thrown into the water, and the whales are driven to land where they then beach themselves in shallow water. Islanders are not allowed by law to take the whales on the ocean-side of the rope.
Whales that aren’t beached used to be stabbed in the blubber by a sharp hook called a gaff, but today they’re allegedly caught by their blowholes with a hook and pulled ashore, after outcries from animal rights activists for the former brutal practice. However, anti-whaling groups such as Greenpeace and the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society (WDCS) claim that the partial blocking and irritation of the airway hurts and panics the animal.
Once ashore, men slaughter the pilot whales — from babies to mature adults — in a flurry of blood and spray by severing their spinal cords, cutting through the dorsal area with sharp knives called a grindaknívur. The sea and shoreline become saturated with the spills of their blood in a gruesome display.
During the cut of a pilot whale’s spine, their main arteries are also cut. Since the whales are killed manually, death cannot by definition be instantaneous, taking anywhere from about 30 seconds to several minutes to die.
Men gather on the shore to kill the beached whales in the town Vágur.
Photo Erik Christensen
It’s generally only Faroese men who take part in the grindadráp while females look on. This is part of the traditional division of labour concerning the centuries-old killings, and has not changed over time.
The sea turns blood-red. Photo Erik Christensen
Pilot whales are laid in rows on the beachfront to be carved up, each neatly numbered with Roman numerals cut into the thick blubber.
Small family groups take on the grisly process of butchering, the black skin and white blubber peeling away to reveal dark red meat which steams in the chill air, and the catch is divided out amongst people in the community.
Atlantic White-sided Dolphins on a concrete-floored dock in Hvalba, August 26 2006.
Photo Erik Christensen
Faroes and Regulations on Whaling
Pilot whales are “small cetaceans” and not covered by the regulations of the International Whaling Commission. Much debate has arisen over the years as to whether or not smaller species of whales and dolphins should be included under the auspice of the commission, which banned commercial whaling in 1986. Subsistence whaling is permitted in Denmark, Greenland, the Russian Federation, Grenadine Islands in the Caribbean, St. Vincent, and the U.S. under IWC rules.
The Faroes are an isolated archipelago of 17 small inhabited islands located about 200 miles northwest of Scotland in the North Atlantic, halfway between Scotland and Iceland.
While they are part of the Kingdom of Denmark, they are essentially an autonomous entity, self-governing in most matters other than foreign affairs, the legal system, and defense. Their special status was granted in 1948 under Home Rule as a self-governing populace.
Even though Denmark is part of the European Union, the Faroe Islands are not. The Faroe Islands agreed with the EU and acceded to membership of the Pan-European System of Cumulation of Origin, in a mutual free-trade agreement in 2003.
It is regulated by Faroese authorities, but the hunts are non-commercial and organized on a community level — anyone can join in at will. The institution of the pilot whale hunt, which had previously been largely based on tradition, became an integrated part of society’s legal structure.
2 dead Northern Bottlenose Whales whose necks that have been cut with the grindaknívur
in the bay of Nes in Vágur. Photo Erik Christensen
Controversy
The whale hunts have caused international outrage and have been condemned as cruel, unnecessary and barbaric by conservationists, animal rights activists, and anti-whaling groups around the world, calling for Faroese whaling to be banned, and making frequent attempts to disrupt and stop the slaughter.
These kills have occurred in the Faroe Islands for hundreds of years and are considered by Islanders to be an important part of their social culture and history, strongly defending their right to engage in the hunts.
Local hunters claim that most journalists do not have sufficient knowledge of the catch methods or its economic significance. Defending their actions against international organizations like Greenpeace, they cite that the hunt is not commercial, they only kill those swimming close to land, the food is only distributed locally, and they don’t believe pilot whales to be an endangered species.
They argue the harsh realities of animal food production, but conservation organizations claim that today’s Faroe Islanders have ample food and don’t require whale meat to survive as they did in earlier centuries.
Pilot whales in the area are known to have high levels of mercury, insecticides, PCB’s, and environmental poisons. Large consumption of whale meat can be dangerous to their health and by law, the islanders are only allowed to eat whale meat once every 2 weeks. Pregnant mothers on the islands have been counseled not to eat it.
In days of old, the Faroese used rowing boats to circle and drive a school of whales which gave the animals a relatively large possibility of escaping. Today they don’t stand a chance against what’s basically a small fleet of motorboats.
Paul Watson — founder of Sea Shepherd International — has witnessed the whale hunts in Faroe Islands first-hand.
“They literally saw through the animal’s spine to kill them.” Watson said. “People tend to drink a lot and it’s a big party akin to the Roman gladiator games.”
“The Faroese are wiping out entire pods and family groups. The number of North Atlantic long-finned pilot whales is unknown and they are listed as ’strictly protected’ by the Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats.”
“Aside from the barbarism and pointlessness of the act, such a practice is a direct threat to genetic diversity. They are removing building blocks from the gene pool of the species and damaging the web of life in the North Atlantic and the North Sea.” Watson says.
The Danish embassy claims that whale meat accounts for a quarter of the islander’s annual meat consumption, but conservation groups say most of the whales go to waste.
“Many whales are left to rot on the beach or are thrown back to sea after they are killed.” said Andrew Christie, director of the American Chapter of Sea Shepherd.
Sea Shepard has been working to put economic pressure on the Faroe Islands to stop the whale hunt, and have convinced more than 20,000 grocery stores in Germany to stop carrying Faroese seafood products. Large oil deposits have recently been discovered near the Faroe Islands, and Sea Shepard has also targeted oil companies to sanction the Danish protectorate.
Despite its cultural significance, the continuation of the practice is very difficult to convincingly defend and some Faroe Islanders have even begun opposing it.
Legal Locations
The small village of Hvalvík in English Whale Bay on the island Streymoy is a well-known place for beaching pilot whales.
It’s against the law to kill pilot whales at locations with inappropriate conditions which must be well suited for the purpose of beaching whales, such as a gradual slope from shore to deep water to make it easier to drive the whales fully or close to shore, usually a bay or the end of a fjord.
There are 17 towns and villages that have the right conditions with legal authorization for beaching whales, which have featured most heavily in the statistics for whaling in the Faroes since 1854.
The islands are divided into several whaling districts which are the basis for the distribution of the meat and blubber. The catch is distributed so that all residents of the whaling district are given the same amount of the catch, regardless of whether or not they took part in the hunt.
Photo Portal.fo
Pilot Whale as Food
The major component of traditional Faroese food consists of meat due to the harsh climate in the area which makes it difficult to grow grain and vegetables well. Locals mostly eat salted or dried food during the winter months including meat, pilot whale meat, seabirds, and fish. The pilot whale meat and blubber is stored, prepared and eaten in the Faroese households.
In some of the larger villages and towns, a small amount taken from the private shares is sold to the local food stores. The maximum retail price is regulated by governmental order and is about half the price of other meats such as beef or lamb — a strong incentive to eat pilot whale.
While the Faroe Island’s main export is fish, it does not include pilot whale meat or blubber.
Whale meat and blubber is a Faroese specialty. When fresh, the meat is boiled or served as steaks. Whale meat with blubber and potatoes in their skins are cooked in a saucepan with salt and then boiled for an hour. Thin slivers of the blubber are also a popular complement to dried fish.
The traditional preservation is by salting or outdoor wind-drying, but the meat and blubber is often stored in the freezer in today’s times.
Tourists in the Faroe Islands can ‘enjoy’ pilot whale meat at various cultural events which are mostly organized in the summer.
Whale and Dolphin Massacre in Europe
Special thanks to Mig from Pamil Visions e-Writing for bringing this story to light by sending images.
Sources: BBC, Whale Hunting Faroe Islands, and Wikipedia
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Save Our Whales – Sea Shepherd
Barbaric Blood-Letting Seal Hunt in Canada
Horrendous Horse Fighting Blood Sport
Horrendous Elephant Poaching and Ivory Auctions
Having lived in Japan for several years, 9 to be exact, I have seen how tradition and profit, weigh heavily on the whaling industry…The older I get the more I’ve come to understand the impact that greed and social norms (traditional or otherwise) motivate the good the bad and the ugly.
Great post and may you impact many.
Eric Pointer
“the mark of transition from childhood to adulthood”
This is wrong. Why have to killed many whales just to prove they are in adulthood.
To Prove they know how to kill whales and bamn they are title brave man ? I hate and sad they did like that.
Barbaric! – sickening – sad
Even if I really try to understand traditions, I can’t understand such a mass slaughter of living creatures. No way. It’s just disgusting to me. Makes me very sad ;-(
Gruesome, barbaric and soooooo unnecessary. If the rite of passage required killing then they should face something that can fight back – like spearing a lion as did the Masai in East Africa!
HEARTBREAKING!!! What a Barbaric tradition. They say man has “evolved”….WHAT RUBBISH!!!! If man has “evolved” we should be so “Superior” …… u’r report shows that nothing has changed….in fact things seem to have gotten worse.
Hope this senseless killing stops.
I agree with you, Such killings are ridiculous.
This has been going on for centuries, Deden, but in modern times, one has to realize that certain customs are no longer acceptable.
It’s heartbreaking indeed, Lifecruiser.
I’m with you on all counts, Robin.
What is heartening Scooby, is that organizations such as Sea Shepard are making some sort of headway. So far it hasn’t been enough to put a stop to it, but the more pressure they receive, the more chance these creatures have to be left to live life as nature intended.
i have two opinions about this which I think sum up the situation here.
1. i am horrified by what i see. it does not appear to be hunting purely for the purpose of sustaining life (even though the danish claim that the hunt supplies 25 percent of the island’s food..)
2. i feel that other countries have a right to do whatever they want on their land, and that they should be allowed to “grow out of it” as far as the tradition and symbolism is concerned as opposed to being told what to do by us or any international groups.
so it’s libertarianism vs environmentalism vs just feeling damn sorry for all those animals. tough one.
Oh my Gosh, this brings tears to my eyes. This is so sad. I just dont understand how all people dont have compassion towards these innocent creatures.
This is so sad
I am appalled. Having said that, I recognise that sophisticated, highly educated people in so-called modern civilizations can also make themselves guilty of horrid acts, like Abu Dhabi prison torture and acts like invasion of countries to protect oil riches. But there really is no rhyme, nor reason nor excuse for humans who behave with such cruelty.
Traditions are traditions, even if they are cruesome for outsiders. What one could see and read here is going beyond what is imaginable.
The whales had a chance in earlier days against islanders surrounding them with wooden rowing-boats, not equipped with mobile phones, etc.
Times have change and so should have society – so we think.
No, there is still a long way to go and people stick to what they are used to fighting to preserve it (not just in the given case!). What are the underlying mental models and the given system that foster such cruel behavior that would be called “murder” or even “slaughter” if the whales would be human beings.
My God. These dolphins and whales are beautiful creatures! how anybody can hunt them for sport, and food supposedly, when the modern world has plenty of other food options is beyond barbaric, beyond inhumane. It is an outrage. How would these people feel if they were at the mercy of barbaric people like they are? Maybe even imagine themselves in a genocidal setting?
Those pictures are horrific.
It is appalling, Annalie. But just as you say, man does many horrific things against the animal world, and mankind without any rhyme or reason to outsiders such as ourselves.
But one thing to bear in mind here, which is not to make light of the situation in any regard, is that this has been a custom for this culture for centuries. It’s not such an easy task to change what one has been raised to believe from childhood. When the outside world forces their own beliefs on another culture, it can appear as a hostile manipulation.
if would love a terrorist to go there and place a bomb in the middle of this “party”,even a nuclear one if its possible.I cant bealive that nobody is doing nothing to stop this idiots.
The saddess part here is that the meat is mildy toxic, i was hoping somewhere in the article to read that there doing this out of poverty and survival to at least give some kind of justification.
The fact that it’s a tradition just shows how little there culture has evolved.
- Apparently, not any of the meat is wasted. ALL of it is eaten.
- The whales are siezed and killed INSTANTLY by severing a vital artery near their spine.
- The annual killings are no commercial, but annual cultural events. Each year’s killing takes off about .1% of the total pilot whale’s population – meaning it has no significantly detrimental effect.
So, if this is the case, what exactly seperates these killings from the killings of domestic animals? You know, the ones you buy from supermarkets weekly? NOTHING.
Infact, it’s arguable that these whalers are more humane, since the killed whales live their lives free, while other animals like pigs/sheep etc. spend their entire lives in confinement and experience MUCH more stress.
Pretty much everyone commenting here needs to get off their high-horse, you condone the same kind of killing every time you have a steak or kick back with some delicious bacon. The only people whining here should be vegetarians.
Omg, i can’t believe that have such a tradition. Shame on them…
They are idiots … They have to stop doing that …
If you are brought up within a culture it’s hard to see other peoples point of view.We in Britain routinely exterminate rats yet there are cultures that would be just as upset by our actions.I am against whaling and rat extermination but accept both go on.I prefer education not boycotting.
wow… and they say middle easterners have barbaric traditions.
it’s the way they go about the killing of these beautiful creatures, they hem them up terrorizing them, there is no justification, no way, no where, no how, about what those savages are doing to gods creatures. i hate to see articles like this cause it pisses me off and there is nothing i can do but bitch about it.. merry christmas to all, j’ree
You are all vegetarians here, I gather?
Heya im a student at avonbourne school and have been searching for images of slaughtered whales, and this would do perfectly but i have no idea if i need your permission or someone elses to use these pictures. I am in need of these pictures for i am in my CIDA subject producing a campaign called ‘Save The Whales’. I would apreciate it if i could use these as part of a shock tactic idea in our group so we can show what actualy happens because most people have no idea how gruelling it realy is.
Please if you accept that i can use them, could you send an email to this address-
04j.weir@avonbourne.org
Thankyou
And just for the record i aint vegetarian=D
i feel it is a horrible vilant act. these poor inersent creatures shouldnt be treated like this. the men who are involved in this barbaric takings are the sickest people i have ever met! the greed of killing the animal for money is just unfare. this anoys me so much as when i saw dolphins in marineland in spain i thought that was a bit cruel as they were kept in these small swimming pools waiting to perform. but now hearing about this has made me think how much i would rather see the animals in captivety and be safe than to see them yes in thier natual habitat but being sloughtered in a painful and depresing way just isnt right!!!!
I FEEL SO STRONGLY ABOUT IT SO WHY DONT THE PEOPLE WHO KILL THEM CARE????!!!!!!!!!11
so, they basically kill everything in the sea.
To begin with, lets see who I am, as I feel no-one should pass any comment without first stating who they ARE. I am a meat eater. I am a sailor. And I eat fish and crab and all sorts of things. I do not intend to ever eat dog, but can tell you that crocodile is pretty good,snake is okay and I enjoy goat. None as much a a good beef steak though.
As far as I can see, the only REAL problem here has not been spoken about much. What sort of stress do the animals undergo during the slaughter process? If this stress (which I am ASSUMING is high) can be reduced then most of the real problems go away. These intelligent animals live their lives (as short and as long as may be) in the free ocean, free from pens and feed-lots and other enclosures imposed on other intelligent animals we eat. (Cattle, horses, pigs etc). This is not a debate about the intelligence of other animals vs our own.
By all appearances, there is no direct financial gain in this practice, which as far as the whale population is concerned, is a very GOOD thing.
People saying there is NO REQUIEMENT for
this as a food source should really LOOK at what they eat, as well as what they do. I feel the amount of meat products consumed by myself and many many others is way over our REQUIREMENT. (Vegetarians will argue that none is required at all). If we want to talk about requirement, then no-one must ever eat out in a restaurant either, as much food goes to waste there. It is not required. We are all (or should be able to) cook our own food, and waste less.
So back to my original thing. I do not like what they do to whales, but I can not condemn them. I would be happier if they could find a more humane method of slaughtering though.
J.
I’ve been extremely glum since I saw those terrifying pictures. I’m wondering if no animal-related groups ( like Sea Shepherd ) launch any campaign to protest against those barbaric Faroese’s atrocity ? Don’t use ” tradition ” as an excuse , otherwise , the cannibal practice shouldn’t have been forbidden cuz that used to be a ” tradition ” in some uncivilized tribes. This is the 21th century , a century of highly spiritual realization and awareness . Any form of distress or terror that humans afflict on the other species should be abandoned .
Please sign the petiton to ask the Faroese to outlaw such massacre.
http://gopetition.com/petitions/denmark-end-whale-dolphin-salughter.html
I am in disbelief that such a thing could still be happening. Do these people have no hearts. All living things need a chance to survive. Nothing should be put through that torture, and what’s the purpose, an age old tradition? I think that town needs to think about changing that tradition. Isn’t there another way for the town to express a child becoming an adult? Regardless of tradition, I would NEVER let my children take part in such a thing. This is teaching them that you are a “MAN” because you can slaughter defenseless animals. What happens when that “MAN” slaughters innocent people. Does the town praise that as well. Just so barbaric and unreal that this is aloud to still go on today.
What a senseless, barbaric act! The whole concept is obscene. Where is greenpeace and other organisations “dedicated to saving the planet”???
I can hardly hold onto my tears. This happens in the 21st century?? In Denmark, teh so called defender of human rights? Such a hipocracy!! Down with this tradition and the fascist Danish government that fails to educate its own people on the value of life.
Im sure one day,God will pay those men his debts and slaughter them the same way they are killing those whales
The earth does not belong to man; man belongs to the earth. All things are connected like the blood that unites one family.
Man did not weave the web of life; he is merely a strand in it.
Whatever he does to the web he does to himself.
and;
Only after the last tree has been cut down;
Only after the last fish has been caught;
Only after the last river has been poisoned;
Only then will you realize
that money cannot be eaten.
I really hope the upcoming movie “The Cove” will shead light on this subject. People need to be more aware of what is happening.
The whaling industry is turning more and more powerful and we need people to educate themselves and our children that this is something that cannot continue. “The Cove” is being relased in August, please watch!! Your money is going toward the protection of these animals.
Amanda
Just because something has been done for years does not make it right to continue and is not excuse for these outragious killings. I hope that as people learn of this, they we stand firm against it.
There is no purpose in this slaughter, and even its original purpose has since been become redundant. There is so bravery here, no proof of manhood. There is no risk to the hunter and no chance for the whale to fight back. It is an easy slaughter of an creature who is both intelligent and beautiful. It is simply a bloodbath, not a hunt with honour, and its wastefullness shows an ignorance beyond my understanding.
If the people who participate in this hunt cannot see this, then it is up to those who can to bring it to and end by raising the alarm, and their voices against it. It is cruel and senseless and the participants live in a place of shame. When you speak out against this, you are adding your voice to thousands of voices who stand against this savage act. I also agree with that perhaps when the upcoming movie “The Cove” is seen around the world, that the negative attention will help put an end to this horrible hunt.
It is a horrible massage to the future world. Thousand of people are watching this heart breaking episode, they enjoyed very much. But no body protest against this occasion. This is not very good sign for the future generation. Need to be punishment to this people who are involved in this incident.
And also need to broadcast to the people for awareness against this kind of mass execution of animals.
I agree this is discusting,vile,and barbaric.To me this doesnt show your a man it shows you dont giva darn about these animals that have never done anything crucial to us.Now I log off with the feeling of discust and pitty for these animals!!!!!!!!!! WHAT WER THEY THINKING!!!!!!!!!!!!!
“if would love a terrorist to go there and place a bomb in the middle of this “party”,even a nuclear one if its possible.I cant bealive that nobody is doing nothing to stop this idiots”
WHAT!? So you will make avenge the killing of a few animals by murdering a few people….that is far more disgusting than what these people are doing.
Why is this so much worse than us in the west killing chickens? I would argue what we do is far worse, because at least the whales were free while they were alive.
as for the rite of passage thing – i dont understand it in any culture, i think its just a stupid man thing – they probably have problems with the size of their penis, simple as.
xx
It’s easy to see the tradition here–a group of people on an island where food is scarce and life is hard, finding techniques to harness available food sources. There is not one of us who would not have done the same thing from an historical perspective.
I live in Alaska, and, for thousands of years, the indigenous populations of this land hunted for whales to support their existence in an extremely harsh land. Over the years, as technology has increased thereby potentially increasing harvests, the Inuit, Inupiat and other groups here still celebrate by having traditional hunts, and, the meat is still a vital and necessary part of their subsistance living, but they manage to keep it a hunt and not a wipe out.
I am a hunter and fisherman, and I have eaten muktuk (whale meat) before. I do not believe that humans are an exempt part of nature, and that it exists outside of us.
That much being said, I looked at these images aghast. I’m not opposed to tradition, but I am shocked that this continues on as grand a scale as shown here. The Faroese have overcome a rocky landscape by building tunnels all over the place for roads. Certainly, they could find a way to celebrate tradition and harvest the whales, but do so on a lesser scale, as the indigenous of Alaska have done.
I’m reminded by seeing the wholesale slaughter of these animals of the mass killings of the North American buffalo, the musk oxen, and other herd animals that seemed normal to the people conducting the slaughter.