Humans have had the bad habit of driving animals and plants to extinction just for their benefit. But we think things have gone too far when killing sea animals is done in the name of a ritual, and hundreds of sea animals are captured and slaughtered mercilessly by men with weapons.

This is exactly what is happening in the Faroe Islands in Denmark. An age-old ritual known as Grindadrap is performed here. As a part of the ritual, whales and dolphins are slaughtered so that the locals can enjoy their meat to prepare for the harsh winters. For these people, consuming whale meat and blubber (thick layer of fat on dolphins and whales which protects them from cold) is their way of life, and they see nothing wrong in it. The city officials have even stressed that a ritual is a necessary action which is performed sustainably. We think the bloody ocean and 800 dead bodies that look pitiable are telling a different story.

Whales and dolphins that are close to the shore are chased by humans and then dragged to the beach by using a hook that pierces their blowholes. At the beach, more humans use ropes to bound the sea animals and use sharp weapons to hack their arteries until the animals die, and their blood turns the river red. Not only adults take part in this ritual; the locals even train the kids to learn how to do it.

The Stand

The Faroese authorities reacted to the outrage and worldwide protests against the ritual by stating that whale catchers in Faroe Islands do so in line with globally recognized principles of sustainable development and international law. Catchers need to follow national laws and regulations, and all of them have a license and need to own mandatory equipment as well as follow mandatory methods. The hunt causes little suffering to the animals according to the law. It takes only a few seconds for each whale to die, and a spinal lance ensures that they lose consciousness before dying to avoid the pain.

The Reactions

Thankfully, most of the world doesn’t think that killing hundreds of sea animals, no matter what the regulations say is a good idea. Users from different parts of the world took to Twitter to share their views on the matter. Here are some noteworthy tweets we came across.

One of the users called the ritual a genocide:One of the users also showed concern that these sea animals might go extinct if the atrocity is not stopped.

One user urged PETA to take action and stop the ritual while another suggested Faroe Islands should be boycotted until Grindadrap is gone forever!

An Old Ritual

This is not the first time this ritual has been heavily criticized. Last year too, people were against this ritual. Last year too, such a ritual was heavily criticized. On July 30, 2018, the hunt was organized at the bay of Sandavágur on the western island of Vágar that comes under the jurisdiction of the government of Faroe Islands too.

A UK-based pressure group called the Blue Planet Society criticized the ritual and condemned the killings. The group added the people of Faroe Islands need to learn to live in the 21st century and that they have no empathy, no respect and killing sea animals is entertainment for them.

Even then, the Faroese government justified the ritual by saying that it’s a natural part of Faroese life.

Can Laws Stop Grindadrap?

A global ban on commercial whaling has been in place since the 1980s, but it’s not applicable here as the meat of the sea animals killed in this ritual is not sold but shared in the community only. The EU ban on whaling also seems ineffective as the Faroe Islands aren’t a part of the Bloc.

AMPAC USA criticizes the actions of the people at the Faroe Islands and hopes some way would be found soon to end the atrocity. We want a safer planet for everyone, be it humans or sea animals!

Sources

• https://edition.cnn.com/2018/08/17/europe/faroe-islands-whale-hunt-intl/index.html
• https://twitter.com/search?q=%20Grindadrap&src=typd&lang=en
• https://curlytales.com/denmarks-gruesome-mass-whale-slaughter-ritual-grindadrap-enrages-the-world/