1,400 Dolphins Were Killed in Faroe Islands. Even Hunting Supporters Were Upset.
The custom of whale and dolphin hunting, known as grindadrap, is a centuries-old practice in the Faroe Islands and a key part of many locals’ diet. And many Faroese point to regulations — including rules around the killing of mammals — aimed at making the practice sustainable as a reason to keep the tradition alive.
But when more than 1,400 white-sided dolphins were killed there last weekend — the largest ever recorded such catch in the area — and when the local news media published graphic images and video showing the beached dolphins being dragged up in bloody waters, even some supporters of the hunts were upset.
Now, the scale of the slaughter, which took place on Sunday near Skalabotnur, the islands’ longest fjord, has prompted outrage from animal rights campaigners and caused divisions among those who believe dolphins should not be hunted and those who say they are still acting sustainably.
“Considering the times we are in, with a global pandemic and the world coming to a halt, it’s absolutely appalling to see an attack on nature of this scale in the Faroe Islands,” Alex Cornelissen, the chief executive of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, an organization that works to stop whale hunting, said in a statement.
