Water turns red with blood as Faroe Islanders carry out annual whale and dolphin slaughter
A Faroe Islands cove was awash with the blood of dolphins and pilot whales on Friday after the first animals of the summer were butchered in a gruesome Viking tradition.
The grindadrap, or 'grind' for short, is a 1,000-year-old Faroese custom which sees hunters encircle the animals with their fishing boats in order to drive them into a shallow bay.
The terrified animals are then beached, allowing fishermen to brutally slaughter them with knives on the shore, with locals then feasting on their meat and blubber.
Every summer, shocking images of the bloody hunt show the macabre ritual, which is strongly condemned by outraged animal rights defenders who consider the practice barbaric.
The practice at Leynar, Streymoy, is believed to have seen around 200 pilot whales killed.
Volunteers from the Captain Paul Watson Foundation UK say some were left struggling on rocks with women helping to bring in the kill due to a lack of men for the sheer number of animals beached.
They described it as a 'disturbing scene in a high income nation' with almost as many children as adults present.
The call to the slaughter went out just as school ended, with parents apparently bringing their offspring to watch after lessons.
Rob Read of the Captain Paul Watson Foundation said: 'When children are taught to watch instead of protect, the cycle of violence continues unchecked.
'This isn't tradition - it's desensitization. We must break the chain.'
At the same time as the massacre, King Frederik X, Queen Mary, and Princess Josephine of Denmark are on an official visit to the Faroe Islands, arriving with the royal yacht Dannebrog and engaging in traditional ceremonies in Tórshavn and Koltur.
'The juxtaposition is stark: a royal historic tour, national costumes, public speeches - and on the same day, a violent medieval maritime practice using powerboats and modern tools,' a spokesperson for the foundation added.
Each year, an average of around 700 long-finned pilot whales are caught, alongside varying numbers of Atlantic white-sided dolphins.
Kids: Volunteers from the Captain Paul Watson Foundation UK described it as a 'disturbing scene in a high income nation' with almost as many children as adults present
Female long finned pilot whales can live up to 60 years, whilst males can live up to 45 years.
Like all cetaceans - whales, dolphins and porpoises - long-finned pilot whales play a vital role in ocean ecosystems, helping to keep the oceans alive and thriving.
This is a major reason volunteers have been lobbying to end the grind - which kills hundreds of whales every year.
Since 1948, the hunt has been regulated by the Faroese authorities, required its participants to be trained, involved modern boats and communications, and been supervised by police.
Gruesome: Some of the animals were left struggling on rocks with women helping to bring in the kill due to a lack of men for the sheer number of animals beached
Protests: The call to the slaughter went out just as school ended, with parents apparently bringing their offspring to watch after lessons
Supplies: The Faroese state that the hunt provides free food for their community
Legacy: Many Faroe Islanders consider eating whales to be an important part of their history
Rob Read said: 'When children are taught to watch instead of protect, the cycle of violence continues unchecked'
The practice dates back to the ninth century, and many Faroe Islanders consider eating whales to be an important part of their history.
The Faroese also state that the hunt provides free food for their community.
But campaign groups have labelled the hunt 'barbarous' and say it is no longer just about feeding the islanders, with excess meat and blubber sold off.
The Faroe Islands are a self-governing archipelago forming part of the Kingdom of Denmark in the North Atlantic between Norway and Iceland.
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