The Faroe Islands, an unusual cluster of islands in the North Atlantic, is a burgeoning tourists hotspot.

According to Business Insider's Rachel Hosie, the island is now so popular that it closed itself to tourists, except those who are willing to help repair and maintain the island.

However, there is a darker side the the ruggedly beautiful territory. Read this article, first published by Business Insider in 2017, to learn more.

Eco-campaigners have published a slew of grisly photographs showing whales and dolphins being hunted in the Faroe Islands.

The group Sea Shepherd, which campaigns against fishing practices it considers barbaric, recorded the images over a period of months. The Faroe Islands are a Danish territory in the North Atlantic, some 200 miles north of Scotland.

They documented a series of so-called whale drives, in which the Faroese government says around 1,200 whales and 500 dolphins were killed. The Government of the Faroe Islands vigorously defended the centuries-old practice.

Scroll down on the see what the controversial hunting practice looks like, and learn more about its history. Readers may find some of the following images upsetting.