Are you aware of the annual slaughter of the Calderon dolphins in Denmark?

@rooeytoo Do you know where the tradition began and if it kept it’s original methods? I’m interested in the origins of it. Perhaps I will look some more online.

Besides the last sentence I didn’t see much to describe it as cruel or inhumane. Perhaps we really don’t understand how they catch or why they do it? It did say that they can’t eat the fish because of toxins.

One is warned on that particular site that the report was unvetted by CNN and may be inaccurate.

Sigh. I love dolphins. Ever since I saw them in the wild, then sam with them, I have been in love. Not beastiality or anything, but they are my favouriet animal. Wish I could have one – my dog would be jealous. Oh, GQ!

Yes I got an e mail about that a few days ago. I cried when I saw the pictures and took me forever to get those images out of my head, so so sad. Poor things, no reason for it at all, it is just CRUEL and very INHUMANE I can’t imagine the dolphins crying out, but it is sad and I wish there was something to be done. From my understanding the dolphins go up to be friendly and make friends and these “monsters” slaughter them and the dolphins cry and cry before they die.

And you learned that from an email? I learned that I am very wealthy from an email. Apparently I have won a huge European lottery, and all I have to do is send a nominal sum to have my winnings released.

@rooeytoo Is this an annual thing or how often does it happen? I dont want to look it up again because I can’t handle seeing the images again.

@pdworkin lol i learned that too a long time ago :-) It was a forward going around with information and picures of it, also a list of people signing it who are against it

It is also real messed up because it said that the calderon species is close to extinction or something

@pdworkin was your email from the Senate of Nigeria like mine??
It seems to me that if they can no longer use the dolphins as meat, then there is no defensible reason to continue the tradition. Sometimes ‘tradition’ is not enough, by itself.

Most cultures would choose to preserve the species so they can have their cultural ceremonies later in life vs. kill them if they are threatened (low population) and can’t use them “correctly”. However we don’t even know what the real issue is going on here as that article seemed quite biased and not very informative.

To me the issue is this cruel slaughter, no need to torture these dolphins. If you are going to get meat then do it in a quick painless way but the way these people do it is not painless or quick.

Following is the Wikipedia quotation:

The long-term survival prospects of both species look good. Indeed in its Red List of Threatened Species the IUCN lists both the Long-finned and Short-finned as “Lower Risk; conservation dependent”.

The Long-finned Pilot Whale has traditionally been hunted by whalers by the process of “driving” – where many fishermen and boats gather in a semicircle behind a pod of whales, that has been sighted close to shore, and slowly drive them towards a bay. When close enough stones attached to lines from the boats are thrown into the water behind the whales, driving them towards the beach where they become stranded and are slaughtered. This practice was common in both the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Currently only the Faroe Islands operates such a cull. Statistics have been kept for the drives in the Faroe Islands for centuries, and in the 1980s around 2,500 individuals were killed each year in this manner, declining in the 1990s to under a thousand.

The Short-finned Pilot Whale has also been hunted for many centuries, particularly by Japanese whalers. In the mid-1980s the annual Japanese kill was about 2,300 animals. This had decreased to about 400 per year by the 1990s. Killing by harpoon is still relatively common in the Lesser Antilles and Sri Lanka. Due to poor record-keeping it is not known how many kills are made each year, and what effect this has on the local population.

Both species are also collaterally caught and killed in longline and gill-nets each year.

The Faroe Islands may be a part of the Danish commonwealth but should be seen more as another country. It is a rough group of Islands north of Britain, with old traditions of hunting that differs from other most of Scandinavia, with a very small population.

Yes, I think it’s a tradition that should cease, and an animal they must should stop hunting. It is cruel and serves little purpose.

Here is some more material from snopes.com:

Claim: Photographs show a dolphin hunt in the Faroe Islands.

PROBABLY TRUE

Example: [Collected via e-mail, November 2009]

Denmark is a big shame

The sea is stained in red and in the mean while it’s not because of the climate effects of nature.

It’s because of the cruelty that the human beings (civilised human) kill hundreds of the famous and intelligent Calderon dolphins.

This happens every year in Feroe iland in Denmark. In this slaughter the main participants are young teens.

WHY?

To show that they are adults and mature…. BULLLLsh

In this big celebration, nothing is missing for the fun. Everyone is participating in one way or the other, killing or looking at the cruelty “supporting like a spectator”

Is it necessary to mention that the dolphin calderon, like all the other species of dolphins, it’s near instinction and they get near men to play and interact. In a way of PURE friendship

They don’t die instantly; they are cut 1, 2 or 3 times with thick hocks. And at that time the dolphins produce a grim extremely compatible with the cry of a new born child.

But he suffers and there’s no compassion till this sweet being slowly dies in its own blood

Its enough!

We will send this mail until this email arrives in any association defending the animals, we won’t only read. That would make us accomplices, viewers.

Take care of the world, it is your home!

Origins: We don’t yet know the specific origins of the photographs displayed above, but they’re consistent with other documentation of the hunting of pilot whales by residents of the Faroe Islands (an autonomous province of Denmark), a subject which has long been a subject of controversy. Although the International Whaling Commission (IWC) enacted a ban on commercial whaling since 1986, pilot whales are technically a member of the dolphin family, and the Faroe Islands is one of the parts of the world where the IWC’s rules still allowed for subsistence hunting of such small cetaceans.

Supporters of the hunt maintain that the practice of killing pilot whales is “an age-old communal, noncommercial hunt aimed at meeting the community’s need for whale meat and blubber,” that the animals are dealt with so quickly that their pain is brief, and that whale meat accounts for a quarter of the Faroe islanders’ annual meat consumption. Conservationists charge that the hunts, which may take hundreds of whales at a time, are barbaric and pointless, that “the practice is outdated, cruel and unnecessary for a place with one of the highest standards of living in Europe,” and that most of the whales go to waste (either being left on the beach to rot or thrown back to sea after they are killed.

In late 2008, chief medical officers of the Faroe Islands advised that they no longer considered pilot whales to be fit for human consumption because the animals’ meat and blubber had been found to contain too much mercury, PCBs and DDT derivatives.

Last updated: 22 November 2009

The URL for this page is http://www.snopes.com/photos/hunting/dolphinhunt.asp

Urban Legends Reference Pages © 1995–2009 by Barbara and David P. Mikkelson.
This material may not be reproduced without permission.
snopes and the snopes.com logo are registered service marks of snopes.com.

Sources:

MacKenzie, Debora. “Faroe Islanders Told to Stop Eating ‘Toxic’ Whales.”
New Scientist. 28 November 2008.

Environmental News Network. “Conservation Groups Call for an End to Faroe Island Whale Hunts.”
CNN.com. 11 September 2000.

Los Angeles Times. “Faroe Islands Reject Whale-Kill Protests.”
27 August 1985.

Reuters. “Faroe Islands Fishermen Cited for Brutality in Whale Hunt.”
Toronto Star. 22 June 1987 (p. A24).

Reuters. “Islands’ Whale Hunt, Part of National Identity, Angers Activisits.”
Rocky Mountain News. 29 October 1994.

Google gives over 8000 hits on the subject. Now I don’t know what you may consider sufficient evidence to convince you but there must be at least one in there that is creditable. I have seen horrendous photos that don’t look photoshopped to me.

I didn’t say it should stop because they were endangered. I think it is cruel to treat any sentient creature in that fashion. We are not supposed to eat tuna that isn’t caught in such a way as to protect dolphins (another wtf?? in my mind) but here they are killing them to prove manhood.

@pdworkin That was the e mail that I got. Only it had the images also. They need to put an end to this like NOW

Well that snopes information is pretty convincing. I wouldn’t stop the cultural ceremony but I would put some regulations on it as to make it humane.

I don’t know how it is possible to make the wanton slaughter more humane.

It sounds much like Canada’s seal hunt – always controversial. They used to show pictures of skinned baby seals still alive with their mamas nosing them. I can’t watch your clip but I can imagine. What some people take part in makes me sick.

@RedPowerLady So you would just keep killing the dolphins, what did they ever do to you? Unless it is for food there is no reason for it and it is pointless, and the article stated it isn’t for food, there is too many toxins in them. Dolphins are neat creatures and don’t deserve that treatment.

@faye it makes me sick also, I saw pictures and I cried and couldn’t get rid of that picture. too sad

As long as they kill the dolphins pointlessly it is inhumane, they need to let go of their “cultural ceremony” and leave the dolphins alone.

@justme1 I agree in essence with @RedPowerLady as well. There’s also the aspect of respect for the people on the Faer Islands. They are are a proud people, and don’t take to kindly to outsiders telling them what to do, especially when it comes to customs and their way of life. I think an open dialogue would be the approach.

@oratio and that is fine. I can’t respect them they are barbaric and mean. To me that is just nasty consciousless and I could careless for them. Their way of life needs to be changed before they deserve any respect

@faye OMG, they are still alive? How in the world could anyone consider that necessary??

It was faster. If the first smack just stunned them, who cares, money. Of course they died but what kind of man is this? We all had sealskin boots in maybe gr 9, it was a fashion thing. and then Greenpeace started publishing pictures…..sorry to be making my own thread!!

Right folks, I am from the Faroe Islands, we do kill and eat pilot whales – I am not ashamed of it and it is not a ‘ritual’ for the sake of our ‘young boys’ to ‘come of age’, it is a hunt that happens when a school of whales are observed in the fjords – NOTE: they are only hunted in small boats and with manual weapons – it is not an industry or some form of entertainment – it is hunting for food, just like herding and slaughtering sheep is….....and I might add it’s incredibly good food!

Now – aside from thinking ‘Danes’ are some sort of trolls that dance around ritually killing dolphins at set intervals – Learn your geography! At least get the nationality of the people you insult right!! Faroe Islands may be part of the Danish state, but it is a considerably different culture, a different language – and not part of the EU!

um, pilot whales- dolphins, same thing? How do I remove this? I apologize. I even flagged this answer. I did not watch the clip because this kind of thing makes me sick. I swam with the dolphins in the Bahamas and that’s what I was thinking of.

@faye Yes.

Dolphins are a part of the whale family. They are all whales.

@wildflower – Do you eat them even though your own authorities say they are toxic and over loaded with mercury?

I do wonder why they are not killed more mercifully. Commercial ventures are usually more interested in the bottom line than the well being of the creatures but one would hope that those who kill for their own food supply would be more circumspect.

Do you feel the photos in the link are accurate and authentic?

@rooeytoo Yes, I eat them – it’s one of the first things I ask for when I go home for visits (I don’t live there these days). Quicksilver, mercury, etc. – once the meat is cooked, I honestly don’t believe it’s worse for you than a lot of other types of meat are…..at least I haven’t fallen ill from it yet!
Also, it’s not an everyday food. Since the number of hunts and whales in each hunts varies greatly, there are times when nearly every household could have whalemeat for dinner weekly – and other times when it’s a pure luxury to get your hands on.

How would you kill an 8 metre and several ton animal more mercifully without industrial-level instruments? Men with knives is all we’re allowed for this hunt and I think all things considered, they do a good job at killing as quickly – and mercifully as possible.

The pictures are realistic, unlike the text – these are large animals, there is a lot of blood mixing in with the sea water (imagine what it’d look like if you killed 100 large cows in the sea)
They forgot to include the photos of the food being divided to all participants and their families, as per old allotment discipline…but sure, that would make the humans seem less barbaric, so no marketing value in that…

@RedPowerLady May I ask why you wouldn’t put an end to this completely? Is it because it is an old tradition for these people and if so why does that make it acceptable?

@justme1 I clearly said I would use it for food. As the article posted said they traditionally use the meant and blubber for half a year’s food supply. I think I also stated before that I would first focus on making the waters cleaner etc.. so that the dolphins wouldn’t be filled with toxins as I think that would be more rewarding than killing them. So I would first focus on other factors so they weren’t threatened and filled with toxins. At the same time I recognize the importance of cultural ceremony and the fact that as an outsider we cannot understand how deeply important such ceremonies can be to the entire cultural community. If they humanely slaughtered (and ate) one dolphin or five to keep their ceremony alive while they are simultaneously working on getting rid of toxins and helping the species thrive then I would be okay with that personally. I understand that you probably will not understand my opinion and feel free to debate or argue with me, or simply state your opinion.

@Leanne1986 Because as a tribal person I recognize the importance of cultural ceremonies. Many tribes have similar examples except the species aren’t always threatened although many now are becoming threatened (not by the tribes because a tribe NEVER hunted a species to extinction but by corporations and consumerism). Also as I said above most tribes also simultaneously work on getting these species of the threatened lists etc.. because they are so vital to their cultural survival.

Also I think we could find MANY similar examples in modern cultures that people do not find atrocious. How about hunting for “sport” as one example?? Wearing fur and hunting those animals into threatened species lists? Building homes in the homelands of animals that are threatened? I mean in typical developed nations we are killing off tons of species each year out of pure greed. In this case I see a huge room for improvement (you can read above) but I think the reason people are appalled is simply because it is cute dolphins and there is a disturbing video taken out of context.

I could probably write a book on this so feel free to ask me more questions and I will try to answer.

Also to back up the idea of eating the meat as @wildflower said. Many tribal communities continue to eat traditional foods that authorities have said are unsafe. It is so integral to way of life in such communities that it is hard for an “outsider” to understand.

Also to @wildflower Props to you for coming here and stating your opinion even in the midst of so much confusion and negative opinions. Perhaps you could continue to give us more information on the topic at hand to break down the stereotypes that are quite obviously present in some of the articles presented.

@RedPowerLady Actually you didn’t, in your first post you said that it did say that you can’t eat the fish because of toxins. However @wildflower did say that the pictures are realistic, therefore I think it is barbaric and cruel.

@justme1 Here is my post “Most cultures would choose to preserve the species so they can have their cultural ceremonies later in life vs. kill them if they are threatened (low population) and can’t use them “correctly”. However we don’t even know what the real issue is going on here as that article seemed quite biased and not very informative.” It infers what I said but perhaps I was not clear enough.

You seem to be a bit argumentative rather than stating why you believe what you do in a way that might cause compromise.

But you know in terms of the pictures there will always be blood and death when you kill something. And we kill things all the time. In the US and other developed nations we kill things not for ceremony or food but for consumerism. What is the difference?

@justme1 pilot whales are mammals, not fish. And unless you have similar views on beef, pork and other meat requiring slaughter, I do think you’re ignoring some facts in your views.

I have no problem with people being shocked at the vision of animals being slaughtered – I was too first time I saw it, and I have seen whales, cows, pigs and sheep slaughtered and honestly, I found the cows queuing to be shot in the head, pulled up by their legs before having their throats cut to let the blood drain a far more disturbing sight than what you see at a whale hunt.

I also have no problem with people being fully informed and then deciding in their opinion, whale killing is worse than other types of animal killings – I don’t agree, but that’s my opinion.

Referring to me (and my countrymen) as barbaric tribal cultured and cruel people is a bit like me referring to any American as a bible-waving, overreacting, occupy-a-country-and-overthrow-their-government-on-a-hunch, kind of people…..

…now, should anyone actually care to learn a thing or two about our culture, here’s an interesting video that shows some nice pictures (blood kept to a minimum) and Faroese music: video

@wildflower – I completely agree about the way domestic food animals are factory farmed and then killed. For a society that is supposed to be civilized, it is appalling. I refuse to buy factory farmed food or eggs. Free range is so expensive but I would rather go without than support that industry. It is a shame that all those who are opposed to the Japanese whaling do not raise their voices in protest. Many however feel it is not important unless the creature involved in endangered as some whales are. Or in this case, dolphins because as you say they are “cute.”

And in this case, it must be noted that unlike factory farmed animals, these dolphins and the whales the Japanese hunt at least have a good, free life until they are slaughtered.

I still shudder at the pics though. And it might be wise to remember that mercury poisoning does not show up immediately. I believe it is a cause of stomach cancer and other slower developing health problems.

@rooeytoo good point about the mercury poisoning. In other tribal socities it was noticed when consistently giving birth to children with some sort of “defect”. I hate to use that wording but do not know the proper one.

the references to tribal culture still rubs me the wrong way….it’s a bit like when people ask if there is electricity or if it’s true people live in caves in the faroes….Truth is, it has all ‘modern’ comforts that most western civilizations have…there’s even internets! And people generally form families….one of the downsides of the country is the overrepresentation of religious groups

@wildflower huh? I am not quite understanding what is rubbing you the wrong way from your latest response, example please?

Which societies do you class as tribal – and what is your definition (I shouldn’t assume)?I find people often use it to describe cultures that are not as ‘developed’ as most western/European countries.
The Faroe islands aren’t stuck in the dark ages, it is so-called modern society, which happens to preserve tradition very well – a lesser known example is the national celebration in July Ólavsøka, which includes wearing traditional costumes, traditional dances accompanied only by singing.
A downside of a society established in a harsh and remote environment is the limited resources of farming and agriculture…..however, the sea is a good provider, although these days 90% of good and food sold in the country is imported.
So, it’s not primitive, it’s not tribal (by my definition), but there are some traditions being preserved, but exercising those traditions is not (yet) proven to breed mutants or cause extinction of any species…....I know I’m asking for it now, but another delicacy in the faroes is stuffed puffins (they are tasty!).

@wildflower No I mean tribal societies that call themselves tribal. I am Native North American (American Indian) for example. In my example above about the poisoning it is in a great book about written by a Native American Activist called “All Our Relations”. It points out how harming the environment also harms tribal people. One case is poisoning the fish. Because fish are so integral to this particular tribe people continue to eat them. Later they started seeing alarming rates of birth defects. That is not the fault of the tribal people by any means, as is the point of the book. But is important to note and educate tribal people so they can make safer decisions. Now with more education this particular tribe is trying to stop the poisoning of their fish, keep their fish culture alive, and eating much smaller amounts of fish as to have healthy babies. They weren’t uneducated because they were ignorant or dumb but because this information was intentionally being kept from them.

I don’t think that in any way said example means people are primitive or not modern or anything else. In fact I think you will find that I argue that point many times over on Fluther. I think you are equating Tribal with Primitive which in my opinion is re-inforcing stereotypes. Tribal in no way means primitive.

Also I stated quite clearly above that no tribal community has hunted a species to extinction so I am quite with you on that one. Consumerism is what causes extinction.

Thanks for the clarification :)

The dangers of whale containing heavy metal is known and warned about, however with the amounts being consumed, the danger is minimal. Salmonella poisoning from chicken or bodhulism (sp?) from poorly stored dry lamb meat is a greater food safety issue….

@wildflower I certainly understand that. I just think when it comes to pregnant women, in particular, one should be better ‘safe than sorry’ as high metal contents are known to affect pregnant women and their babies and higher rates than the rest of the population. I know in the US (all over) they are now starting to give out brochures telling preggo moms not to eat fish that contain mercury. I think those who have lower access to health care (many tribal societies unfortunately) are more unfortunate because they don’t get such brochures etc…

@RedPowerLady well I still don’t understand where you stated that you would use it for food. That is ok, I don’t want to be argumentative here.

@wildflower Yes it would be and I wouldn’t have a problem with that because I do think we are a bunch of bible wavers as you said. I personally am not religious, and I can’t stand government for the most part. The pictures I saw and all that I personally feel was barbaric and cruel. It is fine of you to defend where you came from, I will stick with what I feel about what I saw about the treatment of the dolphins though.

If it is for meat why not use more modern weapons?

@Faye
you can thank the likes of greenpeace and sea shepard for that.
@ justme1
nice to see you have such an open mind about people you never met.

@wildflower What did those organizations do?

I try to have an open mind, I just can’t seem to be to open to everything I saw and read there. You can say that the text isn’t true, but I have to also think about the possibility that there is more truth to it than you will say because that is where you came from. It stated what the people who take part in it or approve will say in defense for what happens

@justme1 You don’t wear fur, use leather of any sort, eat meat?? Or anything from this list . It just seems like a hypocritical argument to me.

I see where you think that. I try not to use leather or wear fur. I I do eat meat, what I was saying was that I don’t fully believe that meat is all that they kill the dolphins for. I think that there could be more truth to the young boys just wanting to prove their manhood than a person who came from that island would talk about.

@justme1 Rites of passage ceremonies can be sincerely important to a young man’s entire life. Such as a boy becoming a man. Now since they are eating the meat and are using it for an important ceremony it seems a bit better than us just killing things to wear them. Or breeding cows solely for the purpose of eating them. Like someone said above at least the dolphins had a good free life before being killed. Perhaps you think people do this just for “fun” but even the small amount of information we have suggests otherwise.

If that is what it takes to prove manhood then there is definitely a big problem there. As for the meat part, I am sure there are a few that still eat the meat. If it has to be done then they need to do it way more humane. I still believe that there is probably a lot of truth to that article that someone from that island wouldn’t want to admit

@justme1 You have a right to your opinion and I don’t deny that at all. I can tell you that some (if not all) of the animal products you use do not use humane slaughtering practices. Also killing an animal has long been a rite of passage into adulthood (in many many cultures) and contrary to what you may think it has little to do with the act of killing itself. Now I don’t know if they could use better practices to kill the whales, perhaps they can. But I think that if you really believe this you should look into it instead of persisting one article is correct over the people that actually practice it themselves. I’m interested in reading the response to @faye ‘s question in regards to why the animals are slaughtered the way they are. But like I said even in the US we use inhumane practices. Doesn’t make it right but it is a point to consider.

I am sure you are correct. Then all those cultures need to realize that showing you can be mean and kill an animal to kill it doesn’t make you a man. That just seems so wrong. I would like to see that answer also. Everyone and everywhere needs to not use inhumane practices.

A couple of facts:
The Faroe Islands consist of 18 islands – 17 of which are populated by humans (the 18th only by sheep and birds).
The process of whaling in the Faroes is governed by fairly strict rules, which were put in place following highly publicised protests from org.‘s like greenpeace. These rules include notice of a school of whales being in the fjords only being given privately through boating societies (not allowed in media) and weapons being manual to ensure it is a traditional hunt, not a commercialized industry, like fishing, etc.

As for the eating: here is an image of what it looks like served. The dark meat is the whale meat and the pieces in the middle is the flubber. This is also a more objective article of the activity, although wikipedia isn’t to be trusted exclusively, it is closer to accurate than the opinion page posted in this question, which couldn’t get the purpose or geography right

As for the killing being a ‘rite of passage’.....if you had seen the event yourself, you would agree that it would be totally insane to leave the practice to a bunch of inexperienced young boys – they’d all get killed! And in a country with a population of less than 50000 people, such a thinning of a younger generation would be catastrophic! Becoming mature and big enough to participate is a part of growing up as a boy/man in the Faroes, just as being allowed to participate in herding, sheering and slaughtering sheep, is.

I want to respect that you have your opinion and judgements, but I would find that a whole lot easier to do if you did your research first.

@RedPowerLady Thanks for explaining your view point on this. Whilst I can’t agree that tradition and culture make what I see as cruelty from the bits and pieces I have read about this act right or justified (blood sports are a tradition in many cultures – fox hunting in England for example, I don’t agree with those either) I would need to know more about the how’s and why’s before I come to a real conclusion of how I feel about this.

@Leanne1986 I’d be happy to answer any specific questions you have as best I can – and dig out necessary references as need. I wouldn’t class it as a sport – well, no more so than fishing is a sport.

@wildflower Thank you :) I have done a brief search of google because I am basically looking for something that isn’t biased in either direction. All I can seem to find is websites that are against it.

@wildflower Well we’ve all been waiting for your input so we don’t have to speculate ;)

So would you not classify it as a rite of passage? Rite of passage simply means an extra privilege one gets when transitioning into a new way of life (not alone but with guidance of others). That sounds particularly like what happens with the whale hunting. As you said when the boys are strong enough and big enough they get to join the hunt. That is a right of passage especially when it has cultural rules and privilege behind it. I would not classify anything as such a “sport” either.

But then again according to the first article below it seems then that it is not about a rite of passage but more about a communal activity that has been passed on through ages to support traditional way of life and provide food as well as other resources. Is this more true?

Of course you don’t have to explain it if you don’t want. I just think clarifying some of the reasoning is important. Because the hype says that it is done so boys can become men which seems highly inaccurate to me. In fact I know that most activities like this involve so much culture that it is difficult to explain.

@Leanne1986
Here is a basic article that seems unbiased:
http://www.truthorfiction.com/rumors/w/whale-killing-denmark.htm

Here is another: http://www.whaling.fo/Default.aspx?ID=6767

“The pilot whale hunt in the Faroes is, by its very nature, a dramatic and bloody sight. Entire schools of whales are killed on the shore and in the shallows of bays with knives which are used to sever the major blood supply to the brain. This is the most efficient and humane means of killing these animals under the circumstances, but it naturally results in a lot of blood in the water.”

@justme1 Well it’s not really about proving manhood. Rites of passage ceremonies are much much more complicated than that. However if you read above it looks like that might not even be the issue here and that it is just been propagated by media as such.

I am sorry, I read that and still seem to go with leanne that tradition or culture can’t make what I also see as cruelty ok.

@justme1 Hey you can believe whatever you want, it just seems you are taking a very simple approach to a more complicated matter. I would just like to see people understand cultural differences vs. hate them because of some gorey pictures. Did you see the statement that says the way the kill the dolphins is the most humane way of doing so? Therefore not cruelty.

The purpose of the hunt is food.
A few generations (maybe 3) ago, it was an invaluable source of food. This was before regular imports were possible, before industrial fishing and artificially sheltered and nourished growing of vegetables were around. Because the meat could be dried and salted, it could keep for a long time (this was way before refrigerators) and was a good supplement for the winter months when fishing wasn’t feasible and the birds had all gone south for the winter.
These days it’s not a necessity, but it is a cherished and enjoyed traditional food. Given that the hunt only occurs when a school of whales happen to enter the fjords and are observed by someone who notifies the boating/hunting society, the volume and availability of the food varies a lot. It’s never so widespread that it becomes everyday food – it’s sometimes a weekly food – and most of the time it’s a delicacy served at special occasions.
For the individual young male, being brought in to the activity for the first time is a rite of passage for that one individual – it is not ceremonious, nor is there any way to plan for it (see above) and it certainly isn’t the purpose of the hunt.

Yes it is an overwhelming sight – I can barely stomach to watch it myself (and I’ve had 34 years to get used to the idea) but I still maintain, having been on a site visit to an industrial slaughter house some years back, the whaling is a far FAR more humane and respectful end to an animals life than what happens to the cows at slaughterhouses producing steak and more that a lot of people around the world (including US – I’ve been to TX!) enjoy without scruples.
Therefore, I generally take criticism and protests against the whaling with some reservation – I don’t know the statistics, but I would wager that 9 out of 10 protesters are not fully informed of the whaling – or other slaughter processes. For the 1 in 10, fair enough, opinions are like a-certain-part-of-the-anatomy: everybody’s got one, and I’m fine with that.

@wildflower Very clear, IMO. Thank you.

Yes, I also saw the statement that they let the dolphins cry first and all that. You keep bringing up the culture, I can’t approve of i just because it is a part of their culture. Sorry, just looks way too cruel and I have to stick with that

@justme1 Forget the cultural component then. And understand that they are using the most humane way possible of killing the animals. I don’t see how you can eat meat and say humane slaughter of whales is wrong for food consumption. Just because they cry? Whose to say other animals don’t cry? Grass emits something like tears when cut. Slaughter of cows for meat has long since been declared inhumane in many factories (not all of course but many). Okay I suppose we are never going to agree or even come to a compromise. Sorry for continuing the discussion when it isn’t getting anywhere.

I already previously stated my opinion about @wildflower defending it, and I think there is more truth to that article than what wildflower wants to say. It is also sad the way cows are killed. It is also illegal in denmark due to the fact that there is no humane way to kill whales , but unfortunately the Faroe Islands have their own set of laws. Well at least not all cows are slaughtered in humanely. unfortunately all whales are killed in a very in humane way

@justme1 But the information on how they are killed is something I found on an unbiased website and not something that @wildflower presented. See the link in my post above. And that site suggests they are not killed inhumanely but in the most humane way. Wait.. here it is..
http://www.whaling.fo/Default.aspx?ID=6767
(second paragraph)

You see it is by the Ministry of Fisheries/Ministry of Foreign Affairs

It states that they are killed in the most humane way possible, that doesn’t mean the the most humane way possible is actually humane, just means the best way possible. Still very inhumane

@justme1 Well what would be a humane way of killing an animal? Are you just upset that it is dolphins vs. cows?

I dont know, but that isn’t humane at all and I think it is wrong. The pics and article and all that I have read about it is disgusting and I think should end

@justme1 I would consider reading more articles before making conclusions. Other than that I don’t think we have more to discuss, lol.

ok. i am done here also with that.

@justme1 What exactly do you think I have to gain by lying to you?

I don’t necessarily think that you are lying.. I just think that if it was true that the majority of it is young boys just wanting to prove their manhood that wouldn’t be something you would want to say

….because I’m afraid people on the internet are going to judge me? And because saying I eat those things will win me so much more sympathy? Think about it…

@wildflower and @RedPowerLady Thank you for all the information. I am going to take some time and read this. I can honestly say that I can’t imagine I will ever be comfortable with it but then again I am an animal lover and have problems with the meat industry (it’s free range or nothing at all for me and even then, if I can avoid eating meat I will), wearing fur as fashion and blood sports. I would just rather not see animals killed in general unless it is a life or death situation! However, until I have really read up on it I am not in a position to judge or jump to any conclusions.

@Leanne1986 Well worded :)

I am from New Zealand. Wildflower – since no one NEEDS to eat Calderon Dolphin meat anymore, WHY do you all still eat it? I don’t think just because it’s a luxury/loved meat that that gives anyone in any country the right to kill them.
If you can answer the following questions please – 1. is the Calderon dolphin population declining? In other words, how long can you continue to kill them before they will be considered near extinction? If they aren’t already??
2. Do you personally know if whales/dolphins are important for the environment, like bees are important because they pollinate flowers?? Cows and sheep are actually bad for the environment. And beef and lamb are the best sources of iron when it comes to meat. How much iron do you get from Calderon dolphin meat?http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/farming/14476
How do you not know that you are killing off an animal that is important to the environment?
Just because you like a food/meat does not mean you should kill that animal simply because you want to eat it. IMO the only good reason to kill animals is if they are harming the environment or if they are absolutely NEEDED for food. I would not even say that it’s ok to kill an animal because it is a danger to humans. Such as sharks – well that is their ocean not ours. If people want to swim in the ocean then they have to take the risk of being attacked by a shark. I honestly can’t understand how anyone would want to be in water that is filled with blood. It’s gross. I definitely wouldn’t swim in there…

I’ve seen it and it’s incredibly sad… :( In fact, i never want to see it again.
Some cultural practices are not to be respected at all, and this is one of them. Screw those guys.

It’s going viral now. Viral here world wise