NELLI HUIÈ Nine whales have been butchered in the latest controversial hunt that leaves beaches blood-stained

Gruesome photographs of a pilot whale slaughtered during the notorious harvest known as the Grind were released by animal rights campaigners yesterday. Sea Shepherd Global gave graphic details of how the nine pilot whales were massacred during a hunt in the Faroe Islands – the third Grind carried out in the archipelago this summer. WARNING: GRAPHIC IMAGES BELOW

Though the hunters claim the kill is ‘quick’, the drive hunt can take hours to complete Geert Vons

Describing how the pod had first been spotted off the island of Borðoy on Friday, Sea Shepherd Global described what happened next. “The pod was then driven to Hvannasund for slaughter where they were forced to beach, had blunt hooks beaten into their blowholes in order to drag them onto the sand, and where locals crudely cut their spinal cord resulting in a stressful and drawn-out death,” the group said in a statement. It said Faroese media had confirmed the deaths of nine pilot whales.

"Though the hunters claim the kill is ‘quick’, the drive hunt can take hours to complete,” said Operation Bloody Fjords campaign leader Geert Vons. “This is an extremely long and stressful process for the whales, who are then led to slaughter.” This was the third Grind – short for Grindadráp – of the summer. So far, 163 pilot whales have been killed with “spinal lances” to provide meat for the islanders. Sea Shepherd Global says 28 of its volunteers were arrested campaigning against the Grind over the last two summers and that it is now turning to the courts to stop the whale killings on the Faroes, which are an independent country within the Danish Kingdom.

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NELLI HUIÈ Gruesome photographs of a pilot whale slaughtered were released by animal rights campaigners today

To counter claims of cruelty, the Faroese authorities have told the Express: “Whale catches in the Faroe Islands are conducted in accordance with international law and globally recognised principles of sustainable development. “Catches are sustainable and fully regulated by national laws and regulations, with a strong emphasis on animal welfare, and a requirement today for participants to be licenced to use the mandatory methods and equipment.

NELLI HUIÈ Nine pilot whales were massacred during a hunt in the Faroe Islands

“Whale drives only take place in bays that are officially approved for the purpose, and only schools of whales found in close proximity to land, usually within one nautical mile, are driven ashore. “The law explicitly states that the hunt is to be conducted in such a way as to cause as little suffering to the whales as possible.“When the whales have beached themselves, they are killed. It takes a few seconds to kill each whale, and the entire pod is normally killed in less than ten minutes.

NELLI HUIÈ So far, 163 pilot whales have been killed with 'spinal lances' to provide meat for the islanders