Whale SLAUGHTER: Activist haunted by 'SMELL OF DEATH' after group see 634 killed

AN UNDERCOVER activist has described being invited to take photographs of an unborn whale with its slaughtered mother while witnessing a notorious Grind.

Whale slaughteredSEA SHEPHERD

An undercover activist has described being invited to take photos

The Sea Shepherd volunteer, posing as a holidaymaker, claims children were also present at the bloody spectacle which has sparked international outrage.

Five months after the mass slaughter of whales and dolphins on the Faroe Islands this summer, the campaigner says their senses are still haunted by the "smell of death".

Activists from the conservation group, acting as tourists, claim they witnessed 634 whales and dolphins being killed this summer on the Faroe Islands.

Members of the eight undercover teams are giving personal accounts of their time taking part in Sea Shepherd UK's secret operation on the North Atlantic archipelago where they saw the waters running blood red during the annual slaughter known as the Grindadráp.

Nine separate "Grind" were documented during the 10-week mission which is part of the Sea Shepherd's Operation Bloody Fjords.

WhalesSEA SHEPHERD

The Sea Shepherd volunteer posed as a holidaymaker

I am at home by my desk but I can still smell the sickening and pungent smell of death when I remember my time in Hvannasund.

Activist

The Faroese authorities have long maintained these events are not cruel and are carried out in accordance with international law as well as being sustainable and regulated.

Team 1 recorded the Hvannasund Grindadráp on July 5 when 70 long-finned pilot whales were killed, and one of its un-named members describes still being haunted by events.

The activist said: "I am at home by my desk but I can still smell the sickening and pungent smell of death when I remember my time in Hvannasund.

"Men are carrying knives and ropes getting high on blood with the ritual killing of magnificent sentient beings for the sake of tradition.

"The entire community are enjoying the massacre. Danish tourists are considering themselves so damn fortunate."

Terrifying moment divers are nearly EATEN by humpback whales

WhalesSEA SHEPHERD

The campaigner says their senses are still haunted by the 'smell of death'

Explaining how the dead bodies of whales are moved from the beach, with several generation of the creatures laid out and framed by the "idyllic and bloody little town", the activist goes on to say:

"Two hours before swimming free, these beautiful whales are eviscerated and mutilated, not only in front of me but to my despair, in front of children."

The writer also claims she is "encouraged" to photograph an unborn baby whale still attached to its dead mother by the umbilical cord.

The activist said: "I am told many times how blessed I am for the privilege of witnessing a Grind.

"Only a sadistic mind could see beauty in murder and suffering.

"A horrific and sad experience of senseless destruction. It will haunt me until I see the end of this obsolete and bloody tradition.

"Only then, I would be able to let them go in peace, knowing that no other whale or dolphin will suffer in their hands."

To counter claims of cruelty, the Faroese authorities have told the Express 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.

WhalesSEA SHEPHERD

The activists claim they witnessed 634 whales and dolphins being killed this summer

"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.

"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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