Faroe Islands - dolphin slaughter

It's just too horrible for words Daisymae the mass slaughter of such beautiful creatures and for what.

I heard a graphic report on the World Service overnight - there were so many dolphins and too few people to kill them, so the vast majority were left to a lingering death.

I had no idea this happened. I've just read a news article and that's so so upsetting.

Some cultural traditions need to be left behind. There are other ways to honor or remember old traditions without actually doing it.

They're doing it because they like it and because they can. I'm hoping that there's enough if an outcry at this wanton cruelty that some measure be introduced to effectively ban it.

This barbaric slaughter may at last have reached the world. There have been protests/lobbying etc since the 1980s but sadly to little effect.

I remember being appalled about this in 1983 when one of my children was doing a project on whales and I came across it - but now the media is streaming the images across the world I really hope this will have some impact.

Truly horrible.

I’ve read an article about it this morning with some disturbing photos - it”s totally barbaric and the sheer numbers of dolphins involved make it impossible to justify for any reason including cultural traditions.
What is wrong with some people?

Horrible

Yes I remember my son going through a whales and dolphins phase, and he discovered pictures of the faroes island kills, and became very upset, he joined as a green peace member after that.

Unbelievable that it is still going, there really needs to be a tourism boycott and sanctions.

Dreadful.

Oh no, how horrible.

Not wishing to rain on anyone’s parade, but 4,537,480,000 animals have been slaughtered in the UK this year up to now. It’s increasing by about 300 per second. I don’t see any difference except we keep our cultural practices hidden.

I don’t think you are raining on anything here nightowl.
We can condemn more than one thing at a time.

It feels particular dreadful to me if sentient beings are killed and then their remains are simple wasted and basically treated as “waste” to be disposed of.

This disgusting slaughter cannot be excused on the grounds of tradition. Maybe due to this year's slaughter being so very over the top, people will take notice, many have been campaigning to no avail, for years. I am also appalled by the 'tradition' in Malta of catching song birds on their migratory paths, and killing them.

Yes Gill and then there's the olive harvesting too in some areas.

NotSpaghetti

Yes Gill and then there's the olive harvesting too in some areas.

M n S olive oil is bird free and reasonably priced.

The slaughter is horrendous and sick. My mum campaigned against this when we were kids, and, the clubbing of baby seals in Canada, yet it is all still happening.
The Danes have a similar tradition. It's barbaric.

Have any of you watched the film I don’t think you ll ever eat fish again it’s barbaric at the worse
Killing tuna and the sea is red
The Faroe Islands and the Northern European countries are barbaric in their treatment of fish and it’s all so horrible
I hope this brings it home to the world
Whales Dolphins tuna all slaughtered in the most barbaric way it breaks my heart when I read about it

The same slaughter of dolphins goes on in Taiji, Japan and has done for years. I used to campaign about it. They do it through the winter, many are captured and sold to acquaruims and sealife shows, the rest are slaughtered for meat and a few young ones left from the pod will be driven back out to sea to survive as best they can. I imagine most die. It's not just dolphins but other cetaceans as well. I can't bear any longer to look up the statistics but it's thousands.
It used to be done in the open but after campaigns by Sea Shepherd etc, the killing is hidden under tarpaulins. The dolphins are killed by ramming a sharp spike through their blow hole in front of their family. Appalling. I could never visit Japan.

I agree jillyjosie I can’t see how it can go on and on for years and nothing is done The sea is red

Disgusting. These dolphins were rounded up by jet skis into a shallow fjord and killed with knives. Tradition is surely another word for habit, and just because something is labelled tradition, doesn’t excuse cruelty and endangering species.

I campaigned about the Faroe dolphins some years ago, but they are adamant it is part of their culture and they have the right to carry on. I was so sickened. I'm not sure how you can stop them though. Who will physically be able to prevent them carrying out this slaughter?

I guess it's down to a change in the way they think, but when you are brought up believing something from childhood it's not easy to shift that belief. We see it in religion all the time. It's basically brainwashing from birth.

Culture is no excuse for cruelty or driving animals to extinction.

I have just revisited the songbirds situation and I had missed that Spanish and Portuguese authorities have now banned night harvesting.
One small win.

It's reported every year, utterly horrible and barbaric

I don't even want to think about it. Years ago I wrote to some Danish authroity to complain and the reply was that the Faroes are nor Danish enough(self governing) for Denmark to legislate against the atrocity.