08/08/2022
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Thank you for volunteering and being a positive voice for the whales and dolphins.
"I visited the Faroe Islands for the first time in June this year. It is such an incredible place with breathtaking landscapes I have never seen anywhere else in the world.
I was ecstatic when I saw puffins nesting on the cliff near the stunning waterfall in Gasadalur. It is hard to believe that a place that is so picturesque and seemingly peaceful could also be home to such unnecessary violence and suffering.
I want to raise awareness and help drive change to protect our oceans and the individuals that live there. Cetaceans are so important to ocean ecosystems and they sequester carbon throughout their lives which they take to the ocean floor when they die.
While I was in the Faroe Islands, two grinds were called. I will never forget the sinking feeling in my stomach and my heart beating in my throat, as we waited at Leynar and documented the pod of pilot whales being forced towards land by multiple boats. There was a group of people waiting on the beach with hooks and ropes, ready to wade into the water once the pilot whales were close enough.
I was shocked by the number of young children watching and waiting on the beaches with their families.
I can only imagine how terrifying it would have been for the pod to have been chased by boats for hours. Drone footage clearly shows they were driven over multiple times as they were forced towards the shore. How horrifying it would have been to see the people coming into the water with the grind hooks, trying to catch them and drag them by their blowholes onto the beach. The pilot whales fought for their lives to avoid a gruesome and entirely unnecessary death.
I am beyond grateful that the first time I saw pilot whales in the wild, I was able to watch them swim away to safety and freedom. I know that when a grind is called, it is extremely rare for the pilot whales to get away. It saddens me that they were spotted in the first place and had to endure such immense stress and suffering. It is law in the Faroe Islands that any pilot whale or other small whale sightings must be reported to the authorities.
Unfortunately, the day before I was set to leave the Faroe Islands, another grind was called for a pod of pilot whales spotted near Sandoy. These 102 individuals were not as fortunate as the pod in Leynar β all of them were slaughtered.
I feel honoured to have had the opportunity to work with and learn from such an inspiring and compassionate group of Sea Shepherd volunteers. There are so many different issues associated with the archaic tradition of the grind. Aside from the obvious animal cruelty, there are the devastating environmental consequences of wiping out an entire family line as well as the negative health effects for humans consuming whale flesh full of mercury and PCBs. It is no longer necessary for survival to hunt these intelligent creatures and there is no good reason for this cruel tradition to exist in todayβs society.
I feel confident that with more awareness and education on the
issues surrounding the grind, as well as pressure from other nations, the grind will soon be a thing of the past. "
17/06/2021
20/11/2020
22/03/2019