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Shame – but not on Denmark
I was upset to receive an email about the massacre of Calderon Dolphins by Denmark.
But I did a little research and wanted to highlight what I had learnt about what I saw and read.
I am not condoning any of this – however I think greater understanding is always needed by all of us all over the world rather than jumping to conclusions. The conclusion for example being that humans are beating bloody holes into dolphins just for fun.
The email as quoted (typos and all) :
It’s because of the cruelty that the human beings (civilised human) kill hundreds of the famous and intelligent Calderon dolphins.
Take care of the world, it is your home!
This happens every year in Feroe iland in Denmark . In this slaughter the main participants are young teens.
WHY?
To show that they are adults and mature…. BULLLLshIn this big celebration, nothing is missing for the fun. Everyone is participating in one way or the other, killing or looking at the cruelty “supporting like a spectator”
Is it necessary to mention that the dolphin calderon, like all the other species of dolphins, it’s near instinction and they get near men to play and interact. In a way of PURE friendship
They don’t die instantly; they are cut 1, 2 or 3 times with thick hocks. And at that time the dolphins produce a grim extremely compatible with the cry of a new born child.
But he suffers and there’s no compassion till this sweet being slowly dies in its own blood
Its enough!
We will send this mail until this email arrives in any association defending the animals, we won’t only read. That would make us accomplices, viewers.
The Faroe Islands are not part of Denmark. They have their own parliament.
These are not Calderon Dolphins but Pilot Whales and other cetaceans such as Atlantic White-sided dolphins and Bottle-nosed Whales. In fact, I cannot find anywhere any reference to a Calderon Dolphin species.
In reviewing the figures, the North Atlantic Marine Mammal Commission decided that the percentage of 0.1% of current populations killed was well within sustainable limits.
In fact the number of drives has decreased from a 1709 – 1950 total of 1195 to a 2006 total of 11.
1709! Thats right. This practice has been occuring for 300 years.
Now if indeed this is a cultural practice, think of how long it will take to remove/alter this practice from the islanders lives. And these Faroe Islanders have whale meat and blubber as a staple part of their diets.
I think this is a terrible practice as well – however humans have been rearing and catching and eating meat for thousands of years.
For more information : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whaling_in_the_Faroe_Islands
Can we compare this to the Taiji Dolphin Massacres?
The well known Sea Shepherd Conservation Society does not mention the Faroe Islands on their site but has extensive information regarding the occurances at the village of Taiji in Southern Japan : http://www.seashepherd.org/dolphins/sea-shepherd-in-taiji.html
Here dolphins are bombared with sound, herded into a bay, covered with nets and killed the next day.
Not only dolphins are herded into the bay, but Pilot Whales as well.
And heres the real kicker : Killing pilot whales violates Japan’s treaty obligations to the International Whaling Commission.
Both practices seem extremely gruesome to a lot of us.
However I believe greater understanding and correctly directed protest is needed – instead of incorrect mail emails.
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#3 written by costas apodiacos 2 years ago
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#5 written by Caroline 2 months ago
Perhaps, dive mistress, you should not be generating incorrect information yourself.
The Faroe Islands are very much a part of Denmark, they are a dependency of Denmark; a self-governing dependency, but nevertheless a dependency.
This (barbaric) practice has been occurring for more than 300 years. In fact, drive hunts (or ‘grinds’ as they are called) in these islands date back to 1584, not 1709.
The Faroese do not have whale meat and blubber as a staple part of their diets; this region’s cetaceans now contain such high levels of mercury and other toxins that the Faroese have been advised to avoid consuming the meat and blubber.
Sea Shepherd does indeed mention the Faroe Islands on their site:
http://www.seashepherd.org/ferocious-islesBut you are right in suggesting that correctly directed protest is needed. We should be sending our protests to the Faroese, not to Denmark. Continued international condemnation to stop this brutal slaughter will be more effective if aimed directly at the Faroe Islanders themselves.
I do not agree with using “culture” or “tradition” as excuses for causing unnecessary pain and distress to any creature. Our history as a species is fraught with appallingly cruel practices, long since abandoned as primitive.
Enlightenment is the key!
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Hi Caroline – Thank you for your comment.
Can you please let me know where I have generated any information? I wrote this article over 2 years ago based on research I had done.
I have no made any assumptions here. I agree that it probably needs to be updated however and I am more than happy to edit the sections where you, or anyone, can show me that I have made a mistake.Again, thank you for taking the time to read and comment.
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Costas,
Understanding helps us come to a more informed consensus. Understanding the motivations behind behaviour is the most important step in attempting to stop it. I disagree wholeheartedly that Dive Mistress’s article is useless, because promoting misinformation across the internet only encourages ignorance – facts are important and it is imperative to set the record straight. There are worlds of difference between the slaughter of thousands of dolphins in Taiji and passing it off as whale meat unknowingly to the public and selling the ‘good’ ones for show, and the Faroe islanders killing a small number of pilot whales for food. That sounds like some pretty useful information to me.
What do you suggest be done? Would you sail into the Faroes, guns blazing and tell them that their cultural practice is barbaric? How much good would that do? Would you actually make a difference, do you think? Or would you be laughed out of the islands? The latter, I would expect, if not something worse.
Or do you think that if you showed up with the desire to understand the motivation behind such practices, and showed the people how such actions are actually affecting the marine environment, and through education, respectful discussion and sharing of ideas, come to a more amicable solution?
While I do not condone the senseless slaughter of animals for sport, I do understand the need for people to make their livelihood, and the people in the Faroe Islands use the meat and blubber as food – as it is done in many other countries. If you’re insisting that killing marine mammals is barbaric, then tell the Inuits in Canada that their livelihoods must change, they cannot live off marine mammals either… do you think that’s a viable solution?
Instead of making incensing and ignorant comments with very little to say (other than showing us your oh so important opinion), I suggest you offer some valuable information next time.
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#8 written by Antonius 1 year ago
Dear fellow human beings,
I also got an email concerning the slaying of sea mamals. Rather then jumping to conclusions i did some research as others here claim to have done.
I suggest you look at
http://www.seashepherd.org/whales/danish-faeroe-islands.html
to find out why other fellow human beings sent these kind of emails.I am afraid that the claim of “dive mistress” that seashepherd does not mention faeroe islands and this tradition is incorrect as the above link proves otherwise.
Also apparently she misstakes the English islands near Argentina as she claims the islands where these slaughters take place are not part of Denmark. The article on seashepherd proves they are.
Please do get your information right.Personally i would prefer if all fellow humans would show respect and gratitude to all beings here on earth, also the ones we need to sustain the human population. I therefore find it rather disturbing that childeren and teens participate. They especially should be taught respect and love for the stunningly beautiful heaven on earth we all have inherited.
I also fully agree with those who urge to inform one another correctly and with those who urge not to react merely from our emotions. Only if we enter into communications with respect and mindfullness for the position of others will we be able to come to new insights, better understanding.
There are many examples of humans that, due to circumstances used to be hunters, however, after carefull talks, have been turned into protectors, nature managers.
So please be factual, please do not blindly follow the opinions of others (rather convince your self what the right opinion is) and please keep an open mind so that you leave a path open to improve our world.
Love and respect.
Antonius
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Thank you for your comment Antonius.
At the time that I posted this – there was no information on Sea Shepherds site.
I can now update this article with the information that you have provided.
Please also note that I make no reference to Argentina in the article. The islands I refer to are the Faroe Islands and they are not ruled or a part of Denmark.
Thank you,
tara -
#10 written by Lemonz 8 months ago
Most of what you and Sea Sheperd wrote is wrong. Sea Sheperd is a disgrace to animal welfare groups. They lie and use methods that are harmful to both people and property. They regard the whales are having more worth than humans.
They are eco-terrorists. PET (the Danish CIA) has their eyes on them as well as the Icelandic “CIA”. They damaged equipment in Iceland for over $2 million. That is counter productive to their goal. They lost all sympathy for their cause in Iceland because of that.
Children and teens don’t participate, they watch. I’ve seen it and I still love them and animal in general. It hasn’t scarred me or made me torture animals. It’s hard for city people to understand that when you live in a place where you sometimes kill your own food, that it isn’t considered unnatural for children or teens to help or be present. It generally doesn’t affect them adversly if they are explained what is going on.
The Faroe Islands are not a part of Denmark. The Faroe Islands are self governing, while using the Danish constitution. Denmark is a part of EU, while the Faroes aren’t. There is a parliament and government on the Faroe Islands as well, that is seperate from the Danish one, and it is voted for by the Faroese people and not by the Danes.
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#11 written by Bob Mony 4 months ago
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#13 written by jan 2 months ago
and you suggest to do nothing. thats even better. and if to do something for a living is a reason for you take this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NjUcN2xQL8 . so i think the disussion should be about the necessity of such killings, and for me there is none. there are many alternatives out there…
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There are traditions all over the world that some may find offensive and inhumane but others believe in for religion or custom.
There is an animal sacrifice every 5 years in Nepal where 200,000 animals (buffalos, chickens, goats and pigeons) are killed as part of a ceremony to honor the goddess of power.
Sensational photographs are shown of this too – http://news.aol.com/article/mass-animal-sacrifice-festival-begins-in/776582 -
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1. I am completely against this senseless massacre.
2. I am also against knee-jerk reactions that spread like wildfire through the Internet, without due care.
3. This original posting closely resembles an email I received recently, which was so riddled with grammatical and factual errors that I did some quick research to clarify things. Check out my blog, and you’ll see what I mean.
http://yardyyardyyardy.blogspot.com/2009/11/gotta-get-it-right.html
Don’t misunderstand me – I too am very much against this outdated custom. But I warn those who attempt to change the mindset of the Faroese: it’s a total waste of time swearing, cursing, saying they should all be shot etc etc.
You need a considered approach, perhaps offering solutions, showing a mature understanding of their situation (not AGREEING with them at all – just being aware of their traditions and their thinking).
Generate a global groundswell with reason, clarity, purpose, calmness. Write to the Faroes Government, not the Danish one (it’s not the Danes’ issue, it’s the Faroes’ killings).
Aggression will only run off their backs and entrench their behaviour (they are after all descended from Vikings!!).
Good luck…read my blog and you’ll see what I mean.
PhilBee, NZ-
Thanks for your comments – you’ll see that I agree that emotive postings (sent without spellcheck!) do nothing to inform the world as much of the content is incorrect.
I also state that contacting the Danish Government is inappropriate as the Faroe Islands are self governed.
Thanks for your link too.
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#18 written by Kim 2 years ago
I just received the petition email about 20 minutes ago. I was horrified that the animals are killed in such an inhumane way. It may be tradition. They may eat the animals, but the method of slaughter is heinous. There is no excuse for torture for sport, no matter how it is rationalized. Now, what to do about it? Like the Dive Mistress, I was compelled to do research and learn more about the subject. That way I would know how I can contribute. I do not know what good these email petitions do… So, I will contact the Faroe Islands parliament and the North Atlantic Marine Mammal Commission, as well as Danish and Faroe Island animal rights organizations. I completely agree with PhilBee and understand the need to be civil and respectful. Hopefully I will have the backing of prominent, highly respected animal welfare organizations in the United States. There are also unfathomable atrocities occurring in China, with regard to puppies. If you haven’t gotten the email petition, I’m sure you will. I will do my best to help these animals too – though I think China will do what it damn well pleases. Let’s all do the best we can. Thank you.
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Oh man. You are so incredibly and completely mistaken, when you say: “the animals are killed in such an inhumane way” and “the method of slaughter is heinous”.
There is absolutely no way that you could kill almost any herd of wild animals this fast and painless. If a killing goes well, then it takes something like 7 – 15 minutes from the beaching until all the – typically 60 to 100 – whales are killed. When the individual whale is dragged up on the beach – just long enough up, so that it is secured – still in the water – it takes seconds until it is unconscious – the width of a hand behind the blowhole, cut down with a large and sharp knife – about 25 cm blade. It takes about 3 large cuts and then you stab the knife into the spine – and the whale will snap it.
But trying to rescue beached whales in Denmark, New Zealand or Austrailia – THAT is cruel. They are slowly boiling in their blubber. And trying to shoot them is just plainly ridiculous. I have heard about an incident in Denmark where they tried to kill a beached pilot whale with a rifle. After one hour and 60 shots they gave up. The whale did die later though, but definitely in much more and unnecessary pain.
And by the way: The faroese government runs this infosite on whaling:
There you will find all relevant contacts, if you still want to protest that we sustainably harvest a local natural resource.
Yours sincerly
[Repost - because I really, really shouldn't press submit - before I learn to spell correctly
]
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#22 written by Joanna 2 years ago
I also did a little research when I recieved this email. It is my experience that many such things are misunderstood and that these types of emails are put out there their shock appeal.
All over the world people eat animal meat.
We have fish farms, chicken farms, pig farms and cattle farms. All these animals are slaughtered too. How else does one get a Big Mac or a Filet-O-Fish?
I am so perplexed over the thought process of people in regards to the slaughtering of animals for food being so much more cruel than the multi-million dollar business of human infants being killed everyday for no real good reason, when these same little babies could just as easily be adopted.
Have any of you seen pictures of murdered baby humans? How they are dismembered,chemically burned,etc. Thrown into waste cans, body parts being sold….?
Has everyone forgotten the fact that animals have no eternal soul, that God breathed His life into man at the creation and gave to us an eternal soul as the pinnacle of His creation?
I am not a meat eater myself, but I do not condemn people for eating meat. In some parts of the world there is no other way of survival due to the harsh cold climate. As long as people are responsible and not wasteful and are giving thanks to God for their sustenance there is no problem. I don’t agree with the killing of any living thing just for sport, but for sustenance, I see no problem.
I think we do far worse in our own country, there is so much wastefulness of food, so much gluttony and yet we condemn others.
I think we need to take a closer look in our own back yard, inour own homes and then determine if we should be condemning a country for how they harvest their food. -
#23 written by Gem 1 year ago
I have just received the email and was quite horrified to read it let alone see the photographs. I had no idea what ‘Calderon dolphins’ were so Googled the name and up came your site.
I was pleased to read your findings, thank you.
I thought they looked more like whales than dolphins.
However although the whales are being used by the islanders in their food chain and according to one of the islanders are killed humanely the photographs are still horrific.
But again thank you for enlightening us.
Gem, UK -
#24 written by Einstein 1 year ago
“In fact the number of drives has decreased from a 1709 – 1950 total of 1195 to a 2006 total of 11.”
You might want to recheck your maths as 1,195 drives over a 241 year period is an average of 5 drives per year. The 11 drives in 2006 represent an increase over the 1709-1950 figures.
If you look at later time periods however, such as the annual average catch during the 1980–1999 period (1,511 handily pre-calculated over at Wikipedia) then 2006 does look significantly better.
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#25 written by Dillinger 1 year ago
It’s funny to see so many people here actually are more fussed about that fact that the original email is incorrect in a few details than the senseless slaughter itself. OK, so it’s Pilot whales not Calderon dolphin . So?
In these modern time we do not need to eat Whales. The Faroe Isle people are a curiosity no more and as such should be put in a museum.
Some customs do not need to be protected but to be shamed and stamped upon.
Nothing will be done here though. just chat and nothing more.
Get out your blubber suit and AK47 … well maybe not, but being sympthetic but wanting to uphold peoples very sad and horrific ideals is not liberal thinking. It is how the far right still get a voice and are still seen as a political force.
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The photos and the description of the whale slaughter has to cut to the very depth of our soul. It is horrific, however – some of those most critical of the awful process choose to ignore the method by which our own cattle, sheep, pigs, chickens etc are slaughtered daily in our own countries. No, I am not a vegetarian…. but could move very quickly in that direction when confronted with images of mehods used in our own meat processing industry.
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#30 written by Helen Xie 1 year ago
Happy to have read so much more information after receiving the email. One thing that really hit me was reading this from the Ministry of Fisheries website provided as below. Despite the argument (which both have their rationalities), it does make me want to be a vegetarian.
“The pilot whale hunt in the Faroes is, by its very nature, a dramatic and bloody sight. Entire schools of whales are killed on the shore and in the shallows of bays with knives which are used to sever the major blood supply to the brain. This is the most efficient and humane means of killing these animals under the circumstances, but it naturally results in a lot of blood in the water. It is also understandable that there have been many strong reactions to media reports and pictures of the hunt in other countries, especially in urban communities, where most people have never actually been witness to the slaughtering processes from which their own meat derives.”
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#31 written by Rich Philp 1 year ago
It is so hard to live without killing… There is the old saying that you can hear a carrot scream as you pull it from the earth – at least it doesn’t bleed all over the place …
I do object to Joanna’s assertion that humans are ‘the pinnacle of Creation’ – unlike any other animal we have sought out ways and reasons to slaughter each other in great numbers and horrific ways over centuries – quite often in the name of the One True God !
We can see such beauty in Nature , and such ugliness in what humans can do . But that ugliness is not only in humans’ relationship with Nature , but in how we relate to ourselves and to other humans – and indeed , there is also sometimes a very ugly side to Nature .
Killing takes its toll . Karma , psyche , conscience , consciousness , dreams , smile – all are changed . We all know what is wrong or just plain ugly , but it is hard to justly judge others when we are sometimes so blind to our ourselves .
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#33 written by Lori-Anne 1 year ago
Regardless of the above debate – the animals which are killed for food throughout the world should be as humanely put down for human consumption as possible.
On the pro side of the “hunt” I believe that it is a more reasonable method as the numbers of whales taken would be substantially increased if it were to be outlawed in which case everyone would want to test their metal, and fill their larder whenever they could instead of during these “sessions.”
Biblically speaking, as these animals are not “scaled and finned” they are considered unclean and unfit for human consumption as are swine and a host of other non-traditional food sources that different nationalities consume.
Good sources of information can be found at:
http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=531&letter=C
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unclean_animals
http://www.ucg.org/booklets/cu/bibledesignate.htm -
Just to correct two innacuracies in the post. The Faroe Islands are an independent province, having executive powers for local affairs, of Denmark for some issues but fall politically under the Kingdom of Denmark, as does Greenland.
For example, the Islands have no independent membership of the European Union and elect representatives to the Danish government.
Secondly, this activity i not done for food but for “fun”.
Wikepedia says “Records of drive hunts in the Faroe Islands date back to 1584. It is regulated by Faroese authorities but not by the International Whaling Commission as there are disagreements about the Commission’s legal authority to regulate small cetacean hunts. Hundreds of long-finned pilot whales (Globicephala melaena) are killed annually, mainly during the summer. The hunts, called “grindadráp” in Faroese, are non-commercial and are organized on a community level; anyone can participate.”
While a few countries dispute the right of the Commission to regulate small cetacean hunts, killing pilot whales is definitely against the international treaties governed by the commission.
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#35 written by PhilBee, NZ 11 months ago
In reply to Nic Oliver:
Sorry Nic, but I must pull you up on your points:
(1) “The Faroe Islands enjoy home rule, with the Danish government represented locally by high commissioners. The home-rule government is responsible for most domestic affairs, with foreign relations, monetary affairs, and defense (sic) falling to the Danish government.”
- source: U.S. Dept.of State; CIA World Factbook.
So any issue about pilot whale killing is a Faroese one, not Denmark’s.
(2) Although I do not IN ANY WAY support their actions, none of the Faroese I’ve had email conversations with have EVER said they slaughter pilot whales “for fun”. Perhaps they enjoy the activity but they all say it is done “for food”.I’ve spent a lot of time researching all the claims and fallacies circulating about the “grind”. I welcome your perusal of:
[ http://yardyyardyyardy.blogspot.com/2009/11/gotta-get-it-right.html ] or go to [ http://yardyyardyyardy.blogspot.com/search/label/whales ] which will connect you to all my postings about whales and whaling…I have also found a small element of commercialism creeping into the Faroes’ whaling…it pays to always keep current on evolving issues like this.
You’ll see that my issue concerns the brutality of the slaughters, which cannot be condoned or defended in any way.
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#36 written by Arelis 10 months ago
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#37 written by Beryl Williams 10 months ago
If the dolphins are being killed for ‘food’, this is no excuse. Our consumption of farm animals is no excuse, It’s no excuse for any of us to indulge in the mindless mass slaughter of animals (and let’s face it, no slaughterhouse is up to standard). It is simply not necessary nowadays, and certainly not in keeping with the potential for good of a human being, to kill for food. Our teeth and our intestines evolved to benefit from none other than a vegetarian diet, and vegetarians live longer. Furthermore, dolphins are among the most intelligent, emotionally developed and sentient animals on the planet, and their cruel slaughter in this way is totally, and utterly, reprehensible and unjustifiable by any standards.
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#38 written by Lemonz 8 months ago
Actually we are omnivores, we benefit from both. We have canines which are consistent with meat eaters, yet they are so small to have no real use. We have an appendix that is about half the size of a rabbit’s, which is a true vegan, meaning we are capable of eating plants, but not only. We show all the classical signs of being omnivores. Humans have never been vegan and never truely carnivorous.
A metastudy in 1999 found that regular meat eaters and vegans had the highest mortality rates of all. The fish eaters had the lowest mortality rates and vegitarians had the second lowest – those that ate animal derived products like milk and eggs etc. In vegans it’s mainly attributed to the nutritional deficiencies found in vegans if they don’t know how to plan their meals correctly. Because of this, one can only come to the conclusion that humans are omnivores, since planning a meal with added supplements hasn’t been possible until now.
Also, I don’t see how intelligence affects the worth of an animal to be slaghtered. Either you are against killing animals or you are not. Intelligence has nothing to do with fear. Most animals feel fear, and fear is what makes animals feel “unconfortable” when caught or about to be killed. If it’s anything, it’s the animal’s ability to feel fear that should be considered to see if an animal is “suitable” for slaughter.
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#39 written by Megan 9 months ago
I have received an email almost annually re the mindless slaughter of these dolphins. I too find it absolutley dispectable. The same email is circulated and many people would be willing to sign a petition. If anyone knows of a legitimite petition which I could attach in an email to circulate or where I could direct people to that want to help. That would be great. I would love to assist but just don’t have the time to devote to hours of reading all the comments on this site or the 10 other sites that google had info on. I would be happy to sign a petition and forward it on to others etc.
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#42 written by Lemonz 8 months ago
THANK YOU, dive mistress!
I’m Faroese and I’m honestly glad and surprised that a conservationist WANTS to educate him- or herself. It is a rare sight to see – especially when it comes to the whale/dolphin killings on the Faroe Islands. I respect you for that. However, I do feel really sorry for the whales, but I feel I can’t really be opposed to it since I do eat meat myself (just not whale meat) and would be a hypocrite if I did oppose it. There have been changes made to the way they are killed and police is always present to make sure that the rules are followed. I fully support that, since I don’t want them to suffer for one second longer than they have to.
There is one thing I HAVE to correct, that this isn’t a rite of passage at all. Very few Faroese actually do the killing and the Faroe Islands are generally a modern, although somewhat conservative European country. We don’t need to kill an animal to prove our worth as adults, like tribal people often do.
You have to bear in mind that the Faroese people have a Nordic mentality. They are generally reserved and very polite, especially to outsiders, and EXPECT to be treated in the same way. If that isn’t the case, you will be dismissed within seconds and your arguments won’t be listened to as insults are hardly ever tolerated. Calling us barbarians and murderers doesn’t help your cause at all. It just makes the Faroese angry and less like to actually pay attention to you, and gives the people something to fight FOR – in other words, it makes people more willing to keep on to the tradition of killing pilot whales than stopping. It’s ingrained in the culture, due to having been a Danish colony and been brutalized politically by Denmark in the past. People are very strongly opposed to outside influences telling us what to do and not do, especially when it comes to local traditions.
The year 1709 you talked about isn’t the start of the Faroese whaling. It’s just the year from where we have continuous unbroken records of whale catches. It’s the longest statistical record in the world for any wild life hunt. We have periodic records dating as far back as 1584, and we have most likely been killing whales since the islands were first settled in the 9th century.
You have to bear in mind that people, like my grandparents, are still alive from the time when famies hit the islands regularly and people needed the whales for their survival, due to extremely low amounts of natural resources. There is hardly any edible vegitation there, no trees and almost no wild life. That’s why it’s so hard to stop this. It’s really ingrained in the culture.
My advice to you is, if you want to stop this, you have to have well formulated and well researched arguments and have quite a large knowledge of Faroese conditions as well as a good defensive knowledge against counter-arguments. If you don’t have this, you might as well use your time and energy on preserving the ecology of your own country, because you will just be wasting your time, since no one will be listening to you and you will be considered either stupid or mentally unstable.
Cheers, and sorry for the long post!
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#45 written by Susan Czerski 4 months ago
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#47 written by Aware 3 months ago
Facts:
Calderon dolphins/ pilot whales
Yes Faroe Islands are self governed, however they are danish citizens. And they are also economically supported by Denmark.
Yes it is an old tradition, but that doesnt have to be correlated to how long it will take to end it?
Newest research has shown that pilot whale meat is high in heavy metals, and should not be consumed anyway…
And pilot whales are data deficient on the IUCN red list..
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I love the fact that, even 2 years after I posted it, this information is still being read and commented on.
Please have a look at the comments above from Lemonz who is Faroese and has something interesting things to say.
And know that I AM NOT condoning any mistreatment of animals, merely researching a graphic email that I received.
Thank you,
DM -
#49 written by Junairyn Montenegro 3 months ago
i agree to diverkat.. In nature there is a balance just imagine if our sea well had a more population of that whale the other species we be eaten by them the pilot whale.. For me it ok they slaughter the pilot whale as long as they ate it not killed it and live it in the shore.. Be reasonable, it the way there cultures and they did not actually kill all the pilot whale..
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#51 written by reg woodleigh 2 months ago
No shame on Denmark? Then shame os Dive Mistress. If we are talking ‘facts’, then perhaps you should get yours correct. Nic Oliver is right – the islands are a part of Denmark. There is a move for independence and a draft constitution. There are two Faroe Island representatives in the Danish delegation to the Nordic Council.
Yes, animals die all over the world, in more or less barbaric conditions. So quoting numbers and percentages makes us feel better about this cruel social ritual? Civilised Denmark should be ashamed. As should any diver who thinks that a few errors of spelling, fact or figures in an email justify this abuse of nature. Nature gives us these islands, and those lucky to dive & witness the beauty of the oceans, and we do this to it? Shame.
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#52 written by Suede 2 months ago
WTF! This post DOES NOT make any sense at all! Especially this line!
1709! Thats right. This practice has been occuring for 300 years.
Now if indeed this is a cultural practice, think of how long it will take to remove/alter this practice from the islanders lives. And these Faroe Islanders have whale meat and blubber as a staple part of their diets.Over the past hundred years, people have evolved, advanced, modernized and got rid of traditions that no longer made any sense in the modern world. If we had not done that, we would still be behaving like cavemen up to now. To violently mass murder these harmless animals as a symbol of transitioning to manhood???? BULLSHIT.
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#54 written by Emma 1 week ago
I don’t think they’re doing this as a ‘coming of age’ ritual. This is a tradition and a communal sharing of food. I’m
Try this POV. You’re an American right? How different is this from our annual tradition of ‘mass murdering’ thousands of turkeys for Thanksgiving…or say thousands of cows for our restaurants year after year. They’re both harmless creatures. How about pigs and fish?
I understand your disgust if you’re a vegetarian, but if you’re not then isn’t hypocritical to hate these people for what they’re doing? I have a feeling that they are more humane in how they kill these animals compared to how we raise and slaughter our livestock in our country.
You might say that these animals are intelligent creatures but I heard the same can be said about pigs and you and I both know that our country love our pork chops, and we don’t hear much an outcry to save them.
These people are eating what they kill; they’re not hunting them for trophies to hang them up above the fireplace.
Just sayin’.
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#55 written by JamesT 2 months ago
Thank you for this blog. I have read it through after seeing an article on facebook. I think a lot of people would be interested in reading both sides of the story and this blog seems to fill that need.
From reading and educating oneself, you begin to understand WHY these things happen and HOW we can stop it happening. As lemonz is a Faroese person I think that following his/her method would be a good starting point. We need to formulate a strong argument against this ritual. But we also have to agree that the Faroese people have to eat. I am glad that it is policed and I am also glad that by what people have said that it is as quick a death as it can be because ofcourse nobody wants to see these animals in pain. What I don’t agree with is making it a spectator sport. If it is for sustenance, why does it need to be cheered on from the sidelines. The best we can hope for in the short term would be to regulate and police the killings and make sure that it is done in an humane (as possible) way. We also need to take the sport away from it, so should be done by professionals, who would know how to adhere to the strict guidelines of the killing. Much like modern slaughterhouses in the uk.
in the long term ofcourse it would be great to stop the killing of these animals but the only way to do this effectively would be to do this step by step.
But I do agree with you divemistress that an understanding is the best weopon!
I feel that you will probably be getting a lot more coverage soon as this has hit Facebook. So be prepared for an influx of visitors to your site.
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#56 written by AK in AK 1 month ago
for someone who claims to have done research before writing this article I find it very interesting that you claim they are in violation of the anti-whaling treaty… i.e. you should have known that a “Pilot Whale” is not in fact a whale and thus not protected by the treaty! Pilot Whales are just large dolphins.
All the same, while I don’t like their tradition and certainly don’t support it, If someone were to start a campaign to end the slaughter of cows because they thought it was inhumane, which I eat the meat of frequently, then I would probably tell them off and continue eating my cow meat!
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#58 written by International Gringo 1 month ago
I myself am a child.
This email irritated me, as I am an extremley cultured teen, having lived in 11 countries, and understand culture and what it MEANS.
I currently live in Chile.It also irritates me that most people here probably eat meat.
I fully understand this tradition, and by no means wish to fight it.
Its part of their culture, like a Muslim womans headress.I would also like to add that a group of Danish kids I met when I was 8 were the kindest, most mature and trustworthy NON BEASTLIKE people I have ever met.
They have greatly affected my life, and the amount of people calling them monsters these days angers me greatly.Whilst I do no defend the act, I do not feel any need to stop it, swear at them or do anything various other peope have done.
It is their CULTURE, I repeat, and while there may be some flaws the USA, UK, etc have many more flaws.
If anyone wants to call me, a CHILD, a monster for defending them, Im cool with that, I am old and experienced enough to not be affected
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#59 written by Jo Garrett 3 weeks ago
Although they are commonly called Pilot Whales, they are more closely related to dolphins than whales (like killer whales) and the term Calderon dolphins is just a local name for them. Many species of animals have a scientific Latin classification and many common names.
Although, the numbers taken are probably within sustainable limits, whales and dolphins take a long time to grow to sexual maturity, this means that they are vulnerable to overharvesting because it takes a long time to replace the individuals that are taken.
The other main problem, which I think is the main one in this case, although the author of the poem didn’t articulate it very well, but what they were trying to get at, is the cruelty involved in killing such a large animal. It does take a long time for them to die because it is difficult to kill such animals quickly in water. It is not like breaking the neck of a chicken where they die instantly. These large animals take a long time to die when attacked with harpoons and they are very distressed and in pain. These are intelligent creatures and are likely to experience similar suffering that we would experience if we were in a similar situation!-
#60 written by Martin 1 week ago
Let’s make something clear, pilot whales are classed as dolphins, that’s a fact. I’ve never heard of a Calderon dolphin, we call them, as a herd, a grind, (pronounced ‘greend’), or individually grindahvalur.
The people on the Faroe Islands kill an estimation of 0,1% annually. That would take 1000 years to wipe them out. And the fact that records show all the way back to 1584. And there hasn’t been a decline of whales, which should prove that it is sustainable.
I agree, large animals probably do suffer a slow and painful death if attacked with harpoons. Fortunately harpoons aren’t used in the Faroe Islands. Large blades are cut into the spine, making blood stream up into its brain, making them unconcious within seconds, as they bleed out, which is why the ocean’s red. If you’ve seen any type of slaughter, you’d know any animal is drained for blood. The videos will look like utter barbaric chaos, if you don’t understand they are doing. The men don’t like making any animal suffer, which is why everyone’s in a rush. To put the whales out of their misery as quickly and swiftly as possible. Killing 60-150 whales within 6-15 minutes is desperately trying to give them a merciful death. If they didn’t care, it wouldn’t be this quickly.
If you’re against Faroese whaling, that’s fine, but please get the facts right and don’t make things up. Ask anyone from the Faroe Islands, they’ll tell you the truth, but they probably won’t a agree. Which is where you come in.
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I read a post in a wordpress blog by the gentleman that distributed the original e-mail that he got this information all wrong. Regardless, it still sucks.