I’m going to give you due warning and tell you that clicking on that video above will cause your blood pressure to rise dramatically. You may even utter some expletives but I’m sure your co-workers will understand, this really is barbaric.

It looks like folks in the Faroe Islands don’t quite appreciate their whales in the same way we do. Rather than enjoying these noble creatures they partake in what is called a ‘grindadráp’ or grind for short, something that raised the ire of marine conservationists Sea Shepherd and South African national Rosie Kunneke.

She was arrested last Thursday for protesting the massacre and could face a two-year jail term after breaking the ‘grind law’. TimesLive on that law here:

The recently passed Faroese Pilot Whaling Act, which extends to tourists, stipulates that visitors to the islands must report all sightings of whales and dolphins to local authorities, so that the cetaceans can be herded into shallow bays and slaughtered with a spinal lancet. Those who fail to obey the law face a fine of up to 25000 Faroese króna (about R41000) or prison time.

Kunneke had this to say after her arrest:

I was aware that there was a strong possibility that I could be arrested, but my only thought was for the whales who were going to be cruelly slaughtered. We were planning to put our own bodies between the whales and islanders, but police tackled us to the ground.

After our arrest we were taken to Torshavn police station where we were kept in a holding cell until we were transferred to prison on Thursday evening. We were released on Friday afternoon after they interrogated us and confiscated our passports. But I will do it all again in a heartbeat. We need to stand up for these animals.

It seems unreal that this is a legal practice in this day and age but I gave up being surprised by atrocities such as these a long time ago. Let’s all hope Kunneke manages to escape the clutches of Faroese law and continue to do her stellar work.

[source:timeslive]