Last November, once again, the waters surrounding the Faroe Islands turned red. In the name of a traditional form of food supply, Grindadráp ("whaling" in Faroese, ed), certain types of cetaceans (such as the pilot whale) are led and then surrounded by fishing boats in a bay and then slaughtered, at the end of getting fat and meat.
Last November, once again, the waters surrounding the Faroe Islands turned red. In the name of a traditional form of food supply, Grindadráp (“whaling” in Faroese, ed), some types of cetaceans (like the pilot whale) are led and then surrounded by fishing boats in a bay and then slaughtered, in order to get fat and meat.
About 2011 specimens were killed between January and September 406, it doesn't matter if the Minister of Foreign Affairs Faroese was quick to define the hunting as sustainable and necessary for the local economy based on the fishing sector, also underlining how this custom takes place in full compliance with national directives that regulate its various aspects.
This ancient tradition of several centuries has captured the attention of environmental organizations, albeit in a very limited way compared to the dramas of whales in Iceland, Japan and other parts of the world, perhaps precisely because of that cultural heritage that pushes the local populations to consider this practice as a important element of the local culture to be defended.
The "hunters" of the place, in fact, have always collaborated with each other so that too many details about the nature of this custom and the ruthlessness with which it is put into practice are not leaked. However, the bloodiest videos and images began to circulate with the advent of the internet and especially social media, with decidedly amateurish and - often times - secret shots.
Fortunately, the Sea Sheperd Conservation Society, an organization that has been fighting to safeguard the marine ecosystem since 1977, has put in place Operation Ferocious Isles with the aim of denouncing the killing of about a thousand pilot whales a year in the Faroe Islands and to oppose through practical actions this sad and archaic custom whose brutality cannot be justified.
