Faroe Islands whale massacre in 2021 becomes the largest in history

The largest dolphin hunt in the history of the Faroe Islands took place on Sunday, September 12, when 1,428 Atlantic white-sided dolphins were slaughtered. 

Hunters on speedboats and jet skis drove a large flock of dolphins into the fjord. The sea mammals driven into shallow waters were brutally slaughtered. Graphic videos from the scene show some people laughing in the background while children are watching the bloody massacre. 

It was said that the hunters assumed that there would be about 200 mammals in the pod, but almost 1,500 dolphins were killed. The killing of so many dolphins turned out to be useless as the hunters obtained too much meat and now they do not know what to do with it. It is believed that many of the carcasses will have to be dumped into the sea. 

According to Sea Shepherd, a non-profit organisation, many hunters did not have a license, although this is required on the Faroe Islands. In addition, no one issued an official permission to hunt in this area of ​​the island. It is reported that the permit was issued by the head of a completely different district, who did not have the authority for that. 

Hunting for the white-sided dolphin is legal on the island. Many locals consider whale and dolphin meat to be an important part of their food culture and history, dating back to the time when they first settled on the remote islands.

Yet, even those who advocate the practice fear that the scale of this year's hunt will draw unwanted attention, as hunters have killed 40 times more animals than usual.

The 2021 hunt has become the largest whale slaughter ever recorded in the world.

The Faroe Islands are situated halfway between Norway and Iceland. Like Greenland, it is an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark. The islands have a total area of about 1,400 square kilometers (540 sq mi) with a population of 53,358 as of June 2021.