Sea turns BLOOD red: Mass slaughter of whales sliced open UNCOVERED in shock scenes

GRUESOME scenes of sliced open whales drenched in a sea of blood are being used to expose the slaughter of this year’s notorious Grinds.

WhalesSea Shepherd Global

Activists witnessed 634 whales and dolphins killed during the summer on the Faroe Islands

Activists posing as holidaymakers claim they witnessed 634 whales and dolphins killed during the summer on the Faroe Islands.

Eight teams of undercover conservationists from Sea Shepherd UK carried out a secret 10-week operation on the North Atlantic archipelago to capture evidence of the annual mass slaughter called the Grindadráp, but described by opponents as the Grind.

The controversial “harvests” have seen campaigners from the Sea Shepherd and the authorities on the self-governing island group, which is part of Denmark, at loggerheads over recent years.

They say 2017 has proven to be one of the worst Grindadráp years in recent many, with a total 1,691 whales and dolphins killed in 24 separate hunts.

Terrifying moment divers are nearly EATEN by humpback whales

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

Faroese authorities

Sea Shepherd UK director Robert Read has revealed how its land-based patrols comprising of a total of 18 crew from Britain and France launched their covert mission as part of the its ongoing Operation Bloody Fjords.

Read says the aim was to expose “the continued barbaric killing of dolphins and pilot whales by the Faroese, and gaining footage and photographs to look for potential breaches in Faroese animal welfare legislation”.

The patrols took place between July and September, with crews based at six different Faroese towns that cover 19 designated whaling bays.

“During the ten weeks our volunteer crew, who used their personal vacation time to blend in with other tourists, managed to document nine separate Grindadráp, which accounted for the deaths of 198 Atlantic white-sided dolphins and 436 pilot whales,” says Read.

“The covert operation has shown that just a small number of crew are able to document, with no restrictions, the horrifying scenes at Faroese Grindadráp just by blending in with other visiting tourists.”

WhalesSea Shepherd Global

A total of 1,691 whales and dolphins killed in 24 separate hunts

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

Faroese authorities

Sea Shepherd says it plans to detail the personal accounts and photographs from six of its teams over coming days.

In a break down of what each of the teams recorded, Sea Shepherd UK has highlighted some of their key claims: Team 1 recorded the Hvannasund grindadráp on July 5 when 70 long-finned pilot whales were killed.

Team 2 recorded the Hvannasund grindadráp on July 17 when 191 long finned pilot whales were killed. Team 3 recorded a hunt on July 25 when 16 Atlantic white-sided dolphins were killed.

Team 5 recorded a dolphin hunt on August 5 when a pod of 133 Atlantic white-sided dolphin were killed along with the deaths 39 long-finned pilot whales the following day.

Team 7 recorded a Grindadráp on August 18 of 61 long-finned pilot whales, and the killing of 48 Atlantic white-sided dolphins a few days later.

They also claim to have documented a butchery demonstration of a whale stored from a previous hunt at a harbour open day.

Team 8 recoded hunts of 46 long finned pilot whales on August 29 and a further 29 whales two days later.

Read adds in his dispatch: “Sea Shepherd fully intends to continue such covert action and encourage our volunteers to use their vacation time to travel to the Faroe Islands to help Sea Shepherd expose the barbaric Grindadráp and especially the hunting of other species such as the Atlantic white-sided dolphins which is rarely, if ever, mentioned by the Faroese government or reported in the Faroese press.”

WhalesSea Shepherd Global

Undercover conservationists carried out a secret operation to capture evidence of the mass slaughter

To counter claims of cruelty, the Faroese authorities have told Express.co.uk previously: “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.

“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.

WhalesSea Shepherd Global

One team recorded the Hvannasund grindadráp on July 5 when 70 long-finned pilot whales were killed

“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.

“The use of a spinal lance, designed by a Faroese veterinarian, ensures that the whales lose consciousness and die within a few seconds.

“The lance is inserted once through the animal's neck to break its spinal cord. “The pilot whale hunt is dramatic and bloody by its nature. Entire pods of whales are killed on shores and in shallow bays at open sight.

“Naturally, this results in a lot of blood in the water.”

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