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Whale pod slaughtered just days after horrific dolphin massacre

WARNING - DISTRESSING CONTENT: Less than two weeks since the world was outraged by the slaughter of almost 1500 dolphins, Faroe Islands locals have butchered another pod of whales.

Images of the latest haul were snapped by a Faroese local on Wednesday evening (local time) and shared to conservation group Sea Shepherd.

Blood can be seen trickling from the bodies of pilot whales which are lined up in neat rows along a drain, after they were killed in waters off the tiny Faroe Islands village of Kollafjordur.

An estimated 52 pilot whales were killed by Faroese hunters on Wednesday. Source: Sea Shepherd
An estimated 52 pilot whales were killed by Faroese hunters on Wednesday. Source: Sea Shepherd

Speaking with Yahoo News Australia from Denmark this morning, Sea Shepherd’s Valentina Crast said the situation had left her and many of the islanders feeling “shocked and angry”.

“We have a few local volunteers who are anonymous, but are very committed to documenting what they can and sharing it with us so we can get it out to the world,” she said.

“These new images were done by a local who really wants us to end these killings.”

Key facts about dolphin slaughter on the Faroe Islands

  • Dolphin and whale slaughter knowns as "grindadrap" translates as “murder of whales”

  • Sea Shepherd has been campaigning against the hunt since the 1980s

  • The grindadrap likely dates back 1200 years

  • Modern aids like motorboats are used today to help islanders herd whales and dolphins

Whales could be seen lined up ready to be butchered for their meat. Source: Sea Shepherd
Whales could be seen lined up ready to be butchered for their meat. Source: Sea Shepherd

What you need to know about the slaughter of almost 1500 dolphins

Surprise at whale slaughter despite worldwide outrage at 'tradition'

Reports suggest 52 whales were butchered overnight, leaving observers “surprised” that it would occur so soon after their last major hunt attracted worldwide attention.

The “dolphin massacre”, as it was dubbed, led to unprecedented outrage among locals across the Faroe Islands, a self-governing Danish territory, with a survey suggesting over 50 per cent of respondents want dolphin killing to end.

Known locally as the grindadrap (murder of whales), the annual hunt dates back 1200 years, and is a fiercely protected tradition on the island, however even the territory’s hunt chairman Heri Petersen condemned this month’s record-breaking dolphin slaughter.

He told local media he did not know the incident was taking place, and that it would damage the regions’ reputation.

The survey indicated support for pilot whale killing remains strong, with 80 per cent of Faroese saying the annual migrational hunts should continue.

Video showed knives used to slaughter dolphins as locals, including children, watched on. Source: Sea Shepherd
Video showed knives used to slaughter dolphins as locals, including children, watched on. Source: Sea Shepherd

Health authorities recommend locals eat no more than 200 grams of whale or dolphin flesh a month, due to high levels of contaminants in the flesh, meaning the dolphins killed earlier this month were more than enough to feed the islands’ 50,000 residents.

Sea Shepherd calculate that less than 300 whales could feed the entire archipelago, but this year 667 pilot whales and 1428 dolphins have been killed.

Unlike the Japanese dolphin hunters in Taiji who must comply with a quota, there are no restrictions imposed by either Denmark or the European Union on the number of cetaceans the Faroese can kill.

“The Faroese have no quota for the grindadrap hunts, no season, no need for the meat and it seems no compassion,” Sea Shepherd’s Rob Read told Yahoo News Australia.

Over the last decade, figures indicate the Faroese have killed 6,276 long-finned pilot whales, 24 northern bottlenose whales and 2,654 Atlantic white sided dolphins.

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