Egypt's PM inspects restoration work at Ramses Exchange after fire    Egypt, Pakistan boost healthcare ties – Cabinet    Egyptian pound stable in July 9 morning trading    Egypt's electricity, public enterprises ministers discuss expanding renewables in energy-intensive industries    Escalation in Gaza as ceasefire talks remain fragile amid mounting humanitarian crisis    Egyptian authorities race to contain fallout from fatal telecom fire    UK, Egypt strengthen cooperation on green transition, eco-tourism, and environmental investments    CPME shareholders approve EGP 2.8bn acquisition of Qardy, Catalyst Partners Holding    Philippines' unemployment rate falls in May '25    Egypt, Somalia leaders discuss strategic partnership, counterterrorism in New Alamein    Egypt, UNDP discuss expanded cooperation on medical waste management, human development    CIB finances Giza Pyramids Sound and Light Show redevelopment with EGP 963m loan    Egypt's PM, Uruguay's president discuss Gaza, trade at BRICS summit    Egypt, Uruguay eager to expand trade across key sectors    Egypt, Norway hold informal talks ahead of global plastic treaty negotiations    Greco-Roman tombs with hieroglyphic inscriptions discovered in Aswan    Global tour for Korean 'K-Comics' launches in Cairo with 'Hellbound' exhibition    Egypt teams up with private sector to boost university rankings    Egypt reveals heritage e-training portal    Three ancient rock-cut tombs discovered in Aswan    Egypt condemns deadly terrorist attack in Niger        Egypt's EHA, Schneider Electric sign MoU on sustainable infrastructure    Sisi launches new support initiative for families of war, terrorism victims    Egypt expands e-ticketing to 110 heritage sites, adds self-service kiosks at Saqqara    Egypt's Irrigation Minister urges scientific cooperation to tackle water scarcity    Palm Hills Squash Open debuts with 48 international stars, $250,000 prize pool    Egypt's Democratic Generation Party Evaluates 84 Candidates Ahead of Parliamentary Vote    On Sport to broadcast Pan Arab Golf Championship for Juniors and Ladies in Egypt    Golf Festival in Cairo to mark Arab Golf Federation's 50th anniversary    Germany among EU's priciest labour markets – official data    Cabinet approves establishment of national medical tourism council to boost healthcare sector    Egypt's PM follows up on Julius Nyerere dam project in Tanzania    Egypt's FM inspects Julius Nyerere Dam project in Tanzania    Paris Olympic gold '24 medals hit record value    A minute of silence for Egyptian sports    Russia says it's in sync with US, China, Pakistan on Taliban    It's a bit frustrating to draw at home: Real Madrid keeper after Villarreal game    Shoukry reviews with Guterres Egypt's efforts to achieve SDGs, promote human rights    Sudan says countries must cooperate on vaccines    Johnson & Johnson: Second shot boosts antibodies and protection against COVID-19    Egypt to tax bloggers, YouTubers    Egypt's FM asserts importance of stability in Libya, holding elections as scheduled    We mustn't lose touch: Muller after Bayern win in Bundesliga    Egypt records 36 new deaths from Covid-19, highest since mid June    Egypt sells $3 bln US-dollar dominated eurobonds    Gamal Hanafy's ceramic exhibition at Gezira Arts Centre is a must go    Italian Institute Director Davide Scalmani presents activities of the Cairo Institute for ITALIANA.IT platform    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Faeroe Islands: Operation exposes cetacean mass slaughter
Published in Bikya Masr on 03 - 08 - 2010

On July 19, 2010, a pod of 236 pilot whales was ruthlessly slaughtered in the town of Klaksvik in the Danish Faeroe Islands. Sea Shepherd was able to document the slaughter through the efforts of an undercover operative who had been living among the locals in order to capture footage of “the grind.” The grind is a cruel method of whaling that involves stranding pods of cetaceans in coves before severing their spinal chords with knives.
Sea Shepherd Undercover Operative Peter Hammarstedt, also First Mate of Sea Shepherd's vessel, the Bob Barker, had been living undercover with the ferocious islanders for a week when he heard news of a grind happening in Klaksvik over the radio. He immediately drove to the scene. Grossly outnumbered and unable to physically stop the grind, Hammarstedt documented the bloodshed upon arrival.
“Pilot whales are known to travel in pods of 200-300 members. Two hundred and thirty-six pilot whales were slaughtered last night in Klaksvik: bulls, pregnant and lactating females, juveniles, and unborn babies still attached to their mothers by the umbilical chord. An entire pod that once swam freely through the North Atlantic has been exterminated in a single blood bath,” said Hammarstedt.
The Faroese government claims that the deaths of these whales are quick and painless, but the newly released grisly footage shows otherwise.
“One whale had five to six brutal chops to her head,” reported Hammarstedt. “The islanders basically used her as a chopping board. Her death would have been slow and extremely painful. Some whales are hacked repeatedly for up to four minutes before they finally die.”
It was equally apparent that the grind is indiscriminate and ruthless.
“Babies had been cut out of their mother's dead bodies and left to rot on the docks,” said Hammarstedt, who photographed a number of dead infants and fetuses. “Pilot whale groups are strongly matriarchal; I can't imagine the fear and panic that these mothers must have felt as their families were wiped out in front of them.”
The Faroese pilot whale grind is similar to the annual Taiji dolphin slaughter in Japan, documented in the award-winning film The Cove. The main difference is that there are at least eighteen different coves in the Faeroes where a grind could potentially take place, as opposed to one cove in Taiji, making it all the more difficult to anticipate where the killings will occur or to get there in time to intervene and prevent the murders.
Pilot whales are classified as “strictly protected” under the Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats. By allowing the slaughter to continue in the Faeroes, Denmark fails to abide by its obligations as a signatory of the Convention.
In order to gain access to the grind, Hammarstedt had been posing as a Swedish film student. Even though considerable steps had been taken to conceal his identity, he was ultimately recognized by several hunters due to his role in the Animal Planet TV series Whale Wars. Apparently, even the Faroese have heard of Sea Shepherd's interventions against illegal whaling in the Antarctic.
When the whale killers began to follow Hammarstedt by foot at a distance, he quickly escaped to his car where he fled the scene and uploaded images and footage to get them safely out of the country. With his identity compromised, he began receiving threatening messages within the hour and was instructed by Sea Shepherd HQ to exit the country immediately.
Despite heightened scrutiny and police interrogation at the airport, Hammarstedt has confirmed that he has departed the Faeroe Islands.
Sea Shepherd has been actively opposing and confronting the Faroese grind since 1985 and remains one of the foremost advocates for the whales.
Sea Shepherd


Clic here to read the story from its source.