“The ordeal began this morning when locals spotted a pod of between 100-150 pilot whales passing by Svínoy [one of the smaller islands on the archipelago]. Several boats then drove the pod of whales approximately 11 kilometers to Hvannasund, where the whales were forced to beach, and slaughtered by locals. Faroese media outlets have confirmed between 30-50 pilot whales have been killed,” according to a statement from Sea Shepherd, a global activist group that has opposed the hunts since the early 1980s, and called the latest cull “an atrocity.”
The hunt, known as the grindadrap, is a chaotic and gruesome sight. The event is observed by scores of children, and filming locals – as attested to by photos that have appeared in Faroese newspaper Nordlysid.
As the 5-meter-long mammals were steered into the shallow waters, they flapped helplessly as they beached, letting out cries of anguish. Simultaneously, a scramble broke out, as the islanders, armed with hooks, halberds, knives and lances ran to score kills. This is not a commercial enterprise – any islander who has passed a course in whale slaughter is entitled to participate in the hunt.
The whales were killed when the lancers cut their spine, also severing their arteries, flooding the water with blood and covering the hunters head to toe in scarlet.
