The Grind Season Continues in the Faroe Islands

Another pilot whale ‘grind’ has occurred on November 1 in Hvannasund on the Island of Vidoy where 85 pilot whales were killed.

This is the first hunt of the season that has taken place in the killing bay of Hvannasund. The largest hunt of pilot whales occurred on July 30th in Fuglafjordur, Esturoy where an exceptionally large pod of 267 pilot whales were killed. Another hunt occurred in August and involved the killing of 430 white-sided dolphins in Hvalba, the largest single kill of dolphins since 1994. 1,069 pilot whales have now been killed in the 2013 season far more than the 713 pilot whales killed in 2012. 

Over 3,500 pilot whales have been killed since the beginning of 2010, raising serious human health, animal welfare and conservation concerns. The magnitude of these numbers is staggering when considering the families lost to these cruel hunts. WDC, along with the other organizations, are urging the Faroe Islanders to bring a permanent end to the hunting of pilot whales and other species of whales and dolphins, and have recently written to the Faroese authorities in coalition with other groups concerned about the humaneness of these horrible hunts.