On Sunday September 12th 2021 a super-pod of 1428 Atlantic White-Sided Dolphins was driven for many hours and for around 45 km by speed boats and jet-skis into the shallow water at Skálabotnur beach in the Danish Faroe Islands, where every single one of them was killed.
Sea Shepherd believes this to be the largest single hunt of dolphins or pilot whales in Faroese history (the next largest being 1200 pilot whales back in 1940), and is possibly the largest single hunt of cetaceans ever recorded worldwide.
While Sea Shepherd has been fighting to stop the ‘Grind’ since the early 1980’s, this latest dolphin massacre was so brutal and badly mishandled that it is no surprise the hunt is being criticized in the Faroese media and even by many outspoken pro-whalers and politicians in the Faroe Islands.
According to locals who shared videos and photos with Sea Shepherd, this hunt broke several Faroese laws regulating the Grind. First, the Grind foreman for the district was never informed and therefore never authorized the hunt. Instead, it was another district’s foreman who called the Grind without the proper authority.
Second, many participants of the hunt had no license, which is required in the Faroe Islands, since it involves specific training in how to quickly kill the pilot whales and dolphins. However, footage shows many of the dolphins were still alive and moving even after being thrown onshore with the rest of their dead pod.
Third, photos show many of the dolphins had been run over by motorboats, essentially hacked by propellers, which would have resulted in a slow and painful death. According to locals, the hunt has been reported to the Faroese police for these violations.
These are the current global petitions I am aware of seeking to stop the grind
1.UK Petition https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/597171
2.change.org(her majesty Margrethe II) petition https://www.change.org/p/her-majesty-margrethe-ii-stop-the-slaughter-of-dolphins-pilot-whales-by-the-people-of-the-faroe-islands?redirect=false
3.Rainforest site petition https://therainforestsite.greatergood.com/clicktogive/trs/petition/FaroeIslandWhaleSlaughter?utm_source=trs&utm_medium=social-twit&utm_content=ta-share&utm_campaign=Stop%20the%20Whale%20Massacre%20in%20the%20Faroe%20Islands
4.Animals Australia https://animalsaustralia.org/latest-news/petition-to-end-the-faroe-islands-whale-and-dolphin-slaughter/
5.only.one https://only.one/act/dolphinhunt
6.Oceancare https://www.oceancare.org/en/topical/petitions/faroe-islands/
8.Lady Freethinker https://ladyfreethinker.org/sign-justice-for-dolphins-brutally-slaughtered-for-faroe-islands-hunt/
9.The Action Network https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/petition-end-dolphin-and-whale-hunting-in-the-faroe-islands?source=twitter&
10.Avaaz https://secure.avaaz.org/campaign/en/end_the_dolphin_grind_loc/
11.care2 petitions https://www.thepetitionsite.com/563/474/557/boycott-the-faroes-islands-and-denmark-until-they-stop-the-slaughter-of-pilot-whales/
12 change.org(Robert Goodwill) https://www.change.org/p/robert-goodwill-uk-fishing-minister-cancel-the-200million-trade-deal-with-the-faroe-islands/
13 End the dolphin slaughter by the Faroe Islands https://www.change.org/p/the-nordic-council-end-of-dolphin-slaughter-by-the-faroe-islands?recruiter=false&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=psf_combo_share_initial&utm_term=psf_combo_share_initial&recruited_by_id=a8ca08a0-7247-11ec-bf28-d9d0a4751f3d
14 Fermiamo la strage dei delfini nelle isole Faroe!! https://www.change.org/p/sm-margherita-ii-di-danimarca-fermiamo-la-stage-dei-delfini-nelle-isole-faroe
15 End Illegal and Legal Whale & Dolphin Slaughter – Faroe Islands https://www.change.org/p/b%C3%A1r%C3%B0ur-%C3%A1-steig-nielsen-end-illegal-and-legal-whale-dolphin-slaughter-faroe-islands
16 End the dolphin slaughter by the Faroe Islands https://www.change.org/p/the-nordic-council-end-of-dolphin-slaughter-by-the-faroe-islands
17 Stop Whale Slaughter Events in the Faroe Islands https://www.change.org/p/b%C3%A1r%C3%B0ur-%C3%A1-steig-nielsen-stop-whale-slaughter-events-in-the-faroe-islands
18 Beendet das Delfinschlachten auf den Färöer-Inseln! https://www.change.org/p/b%C3%A1r%C3%B0ur-%C3%A1-steig-nielsen-prime-minister-faroe-islands-beendet-das-delfinschlachten-auf-den-f%C3%A4r%C3%B6er-inseln
19 Killing dolphins and whales is horrible https://www.change.org/p/stop-killing-dolphins-and-whaling
20 Please stop the slaughter of thousands innocent dolphins in Faroe Islands! https://www.change.org/p/mdm-mette-frederiksen-please-stop-the-slaughter-of-thousands-innocent-dolphins-in-faroe-islands
21 Tell the Film Industry To Stop Supporting Whale And Dolphin Slaughter in the Faroe Islands https://www.change.org/p/evan-langweiler-universal-filmed-entertainment-group-tell-the-film-industry-to-stop-supporting-whale-and-dolphin-slaughter-in-the-faroe-islands
22 Stop dolphin massacres! Demand dolphin’s recognition as non-human persons in Faroe islands https://www.change.org/p/faroe-islands-stop-dolphin-massacres-demand-dolphin-s-recognition-as-non-human-persons-in-faroe-islands
23 No killings of dolphins and whales https://www.change.org/p/b%C3%A1r%C3%B0ur-%C3%A1-steig-nielsen-prime-minister-of-the-faroe-islands-no-killings-of-dolphins-and-whales
24 stop Faroe Islands competing in Fifa/ Uefa football unless they stop slaughtering dolphins https://www.change.org/p/uefa-and-fifa-stop-faroe-islands-competing-in-fifa-uefa-football-unless-they-stop-slaughtering-dolphins
25 Create awareness and stop the slaughtering of Dolphins in the Faroe Islands (Denmark) https://www.change.org/p/b%C3%A1r%C3%B0ur-%C3%A1-steig-nielsen-create-awareness-and-stop-the-slaughtering-of-dolphins-in-the-faroe-islands-denmark
26 Stop the killing of dolphins on the Faroes https://www.change.org/p/denmark-government-stop-the-killing-of-dolphins-on-the-faroes
27 Boycotting the Slaughtering of Dolphinshttps://www.change.org/p/mette-frederiksen-denmark-s-prime-minister-boycotting-the-slaughtering-of-dolphins