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Tag: Faroe Islands

  • Faroe Islands Pilot Whale Activists Arrested

    On Saturday, fourteen members of the animal rights activist group Sea Shepherd were arrested on the Faroe island of Sandoy in the North Atlantic, after attempting to stop the slaughter of 33 pilot whales.

    Locally, the culling of the whales is known as a “grind,” and Operation Grindstop was initiated to save more than thousand pilot whales, which are among the largest members of the dolphin family. In a practice which Sea Shepherd refers to as being a “brutal and archaic mass slaughter,” Faroe Islands fishermen herd the cetaceans into a bay using flotillas, and then hack them to death with hooks and knives. Many locals defend the hunt as being their cultural right.

    Lamya Essemlali, president of Sea Shepherd France, commented, “the 14 have been under arrest since Saturday, and three of our boats have also been seized.” The Faroe Islands are under the sovereignty of the Kingdom of Denmark, and the Danish Armed Forces’ Arctic Command stepped in to commandeer the boats.

    Here is a graphic clip of a Faroe Islands grind in 2013:

    The B.S. Sheen was one of the boats seized on Saturday, which is sponsored by Charlie Sheen. The actor said in a statement, “The Faroese whalers brutally slaughtered an entire pod of 33 pilot whales today – several generations taken from the sea – and Denmark is complicit in the killing.”

    Former Baywatch star Pamela Anderson has also been involved in Operation GrindStop, and commented, “This is not for survival. There are very few things that happen like this that are so brutal. We have to put this behind us and move on, and let the whales swim freely. And I think it’s much more important for us in the future to save our oceans and the biodiversity of our oceans that the whales are very important to.”

    According to Sea Shepherd, 267 pilot whales were killed in a single grind in 2013 near the Faroese town of Fuglafjorour.

  • Pamela Anderson Saving Faroe Islands Pilot Whales

    Actress Pamela Anderson, along with a handful of other celebrities, are joining roughly 500 volunteers on the Faroe Islands in the remote North Atlantic, in an attempt to stop the mass slaughter of pilot whales.

    “Operation GrindStop” was initiated to save more than 1,000 pilot whales, which are among the largest members of the dolphin family. Locally, the culling of the whales is known as a “grind.” Famed ballet dancer Sylvie Guillem and sailor Florence Arthaud, both from France, are joining the campaign founded by the environmental group Sea Shepherd.

    In a practice which Sea Shepherd refers to as being a “brutal and archaic mass slaughter,” Faroe Islands fishermen herd the cetaceans into a bay using flotillas, and then hack them to death with hooks and knives. Many locals defend the hunt as being their cultural right.

    Here is a graphic clip of a Faroe Islands grind in 2013:

    Anti-grind campaigners suggest that while there was once a need for Faroe Islanders to hunt the whales for food, that need no longer exists.

    Former Baywatch star Anderson commented, “This is not for survival. There are very few things that happen like this that are so brutal. We have to put this behind us and move on, and let the whales swim freely. And I think it’s much more important for us in the future to save our oceans and the biodiversity of our oceans that the whales are very important to.”

    In related Faroe Islands news, back in November of last year, a putrefied whale carcass that washed ashore exploded in a biologist’s face, as he attempted to cut into the 45-foot mass of dead meat.

    Here is the rather graphic clip:

    Incidentally, the Faroe Islands are an island group and archipelago under the sovereignty of the Kingdom of Denmark, located between the Norwegian Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean. The total area of the remote land is approximately 540 square miles.

    The islands have been a self-governing country within the Danish Realm since 1948, and have taken control over most domestic matters over the years. Still, like with most protectorates, Denmark handles military defense, policing, justice, currency and foreign affairs.

    Here is an excellent documentary on the Faroe islands:

    Image via YouTube

  • Exploding Whale Carcass Video (GRAPHIC)

    A putrefied whale carcass that washed ashore on the Faroe Islands exploded in a biologist’s face, as he attempted to cut into the 45-foot mass of dead meat.

    Marine biologist Bjarni Mikkelsen, of the National Museum of the Faroe Islands, was charged by the island government with the task of dressing the animal, in hopes of eventually putting its skeleton on display. Mikkelsen, wearing a full-body latex suit, approached the sperm whale, and what happened next is disgusting.

    Gross:

    Mikkelsen commented on the blown-up whale, “The animal was more than two days old when we took it so we knew there would be some pressure on the inside, but nothing like what happened.” During the putrefaction process, various gasses begin to build up within the abdominal cavity of a carcass, specifically methane, sometimes resulting in animal explosions. These foul forces of nature are rare, though not unprecedented.

    One of the more famous exploding whale incidents occurred in Florence, Oregon, in 1970. Though, the explosion in that instance wasn’t due to a buildup of putrefied juices; The Oregon Highway Division blew up the dead sperm whale (it turned out to be a sperm whale, even though the Highway Division called it a gray whale) with dynamite. The explosion ejected tons of filthy whale bits over 800 feet, showering onlookers with the fleshy detritus.

    Below is another revolting exploding whale clip, of the 1970 incident:

    Incidentally, the Faroe Islands are an island group and archipelago under the sovereignty of the Kingdom of Denmark, located between the Norwegian Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean. The total area of the remote land is approximately 540 square miles.

    The islands have been a self-governing country within the Danish Realm since 1948, and have taken control over most domestic matters over the years. Still, like with most protectorates, Denmark handles military defense, policing, justice, currency and foreign affairs.

    Here’s an excellent documentary on the Faroe islands:

    Image via YouTube.

  • Exploding Gassy Whale Shoots Guts Onshore

    Exploding Gassy Whale Shoots Guts Onshore

    On Faroe Islands, a set of islands between Norway and Iceland, two dead sperm whales washed onshore. According to the Faroese Broadcasting Corporation, after two days, a marine biologist by the name of Bjarni Mikkelse was called upon to remove one of the whale’s skeleton for a local museum.

    Although it is very likely that Mikkelse is an adept marine biologist, this was his first time cutting open a whale. He knew that it was routine for dead whales to hold gas pressure, but nothing prepared him for the blast that happened almost immediately after he began cutting it.

    As Mikkelse began to slice open the whale, a powerful blast of gas and guts shot out of its belly with a loud bang. Thankfully, Mikkelse was light enough on his feet to avoid the gassy impact, and quick-fingered spectators were fast enough to record the explosion for us to enjoy.

    The biggest question of all is: Was it the smell that forced that marine biologist to flee or the force behind the exploding innards?

    (Image: Youtube)