News: Gruesome slaughter as Locals kill 98 whales in one big swoop

The grindadrap, more commonly referred to as the grind, an annual opportunistic whale hunt by local villagers in the Faroe Islands, has left 98 whales gruesomely slaughtered.

TheNewsGuru (TNG) reports the grind that occurred in Vestmanna, a town on the island of Streymoy in the Faroe Islands, has raised concerns.

Sea Shepherd UK, an international non-profit, marine wildlife conservation organization, managed to document the grind, the 11th in 2019 alone, for the first time ever.

The grind in Vestmanna happened on August 27th, and it ended up taking the lives of 98 whales, including young calves and pregnant mothers, after a harrowing 5-hour boat chasing and harassment of the pod by the Faroese.

According to Sea Shepherd UK, after the chase and harassment, the killing took around 12 minutes, with the stressed and exhausted pilot whales of all ages killed indiscriminately in front of their family members until all were left silent on the blood red sands of Vestmanna.

On August 28th, after having followed a truck from the site of the grindadrap, the Sea Shepherd crew managed to document the Faroese process of dumping the pilot whale remains, calves and fetuses over a cliff into the sea.

The site of the dumping is just South-East of the small town of Leynar, a dumping site previously uncovered by Sea Shepherd in 2010.

“In 2010, during a maritime undercover mission, our team had discovered this underwater graveyard near the hunting beach of Leynar. Dozens of pilot whale corpses were lying on the seafloor, some of which were untouched.

“The Faroese claimed that these were only parts that could not be eaten or whales considered ill and not fit for consumption,” said Lamya Essemlali, President of Sea Shepherd France and previous Faroes campaign leader.

“Seeing how the Faroese dump these victims, it is clear that they have no respect for pilot whales or dolphins – either when they are alive, or after they have been killed,” Rob Read, Faroes campaign leader, and Sea Shepherd UK director said.

How the 98 whales all went down – Eyewitness report by Tina – Operation Bloody Fjords crew
The Faroe Islands – conflicting emotions of finding beauty in the rough landscapes mixed with the heavy knowledge and first hand experience of the senseless, cruel and barbaric massacre of innocent sentient beings.

Whilst driving around the islands you cannot avoid to feel awed by the scenery, the endless stretches of grassy mountains, rocky cliffs surrounding the fjords, leading to sandy beaches.

However, you also know that this picturesque landscape can change in front of your eyes within minutes…you are in your car, checking websites, looking out for boat traffic, birds movements and an unusual amount of cars heading in one direction.

It’s the 27 August 2019, and suddenly one of the websites announces a ‘Grind’ happening…your adrenaline shoots through the roof, your hands are shacking whilst you try to translate the article to find out the what and where. You head towards the killing beach, hoping the pod will escape.

Near the beach you are surrounded by people who are preparing for the massacre to come, people laying out ropes, with hooks attached, people who carry knives attached to their hips. Families with children of all ages start to arrive and you wait and hope, wait and hope.

One police car and a van have also arrived as they know you are from Sea Shepherd.

Then you are informed that the pod will not be driven into Laynar but into Vestmanna instead. You as every one else head to the cars to drive over to the next killing beach, where the preparation starts all over again.

By Oyibo
Source: thenewsguru.com