Stop the Bloody Whale Slaughter on the Faroe Islands

The Faroe Islands, located in the North Atlantic between Scotland and Iceland, are the location of the grindadràp – an annual mass slaughter of pilot whales and white-sided dolphins.

Up to 1,000 of these animals are driven into a bay by boats, metal hooks are inserted into their blowholes, and ropes are used to drag them alive to near the shore, where their spinal cords are slashed with a spear or knife.

Faroe whale slaughter — © Sea Shepherd - Faroe Islands

Whenever cultural traditions involve cruelty to animals, they must evolve.

Locals claim these drive hunts are part of their cultural heritage, yet the younger generation rejects the killing and eating of whales and dolphins. In a survey of Faroese adults, just 17% of respondents said they consumed pilot whale meat and blubber regularly, 47% said they rarely or never ate them, and no women under 40 were among those who ate them regularly. Research has shown that pilot whale meat contains dangerous toxins, which, when consumed, can cause permanent health issues and hinder children's development. As a result, Faroese chief medical officers have recommended that islanders do not eat it.

The hunts also drive tourists away from the Faroe Islands. As the government is keen to attract visitors, the grindadràp must be replaced with an activity that respects animals and allows them to be observed in nature, where they belong.

You can help stop this slaughter. Please urge the prime minister of the Faroe Islands and the Faroe Islands Tourist Board to implement a ban on this bloody massacre.

View Message +

Mr

Bárður

á Steig Nielsen

The Faroe Islands

Ms

Gudrid

Højgaard

Faroe Islands Tourist Board

{contact_data~salutation}

{contact_data~firstName} {contact_data~lastName}

I am writing to urge you to stop the grindadràp, the Faroe Islands' bloody whaling tradition, immediately.

Whales and dolphins are highly social, intelligent mammals who suffer immensely when hunted and bled to death. During the grindadràp, they are forced to watch their family members die while swimming around in the bloody water, waiting to be slaughtered themselves.

The Faroe Islands must immediately end this slaughter. It is a Stone Age practice in a modern world – cruelty to animals in the name of cultural tradition. The younger generation of Faroese people now rejects the consumption of pilot whale meat, which contains toxins that can damage human health.

The hunts are also driving tourists away from your beautiful islands. This slaughter could be replaced with an activity that respects and protects animals in their natural habitat. I urge you to use your influence to stop the massacre of pilot whales and white-sided dolphins in the Faroe Islands.

Kind regards,

{user_data~First Name} {user_data~Last Name}
{user_data~Email Address}

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