Nearly 100 whales including pregnant females have reportedly been killed in two bloody hunts.
The organised kills, known as grindadráp, or grinds, involves driving whales, primarily pilot whales, into shallow bays or beaches where they are then butchered.
The practice is rooted in the culture and history of the Faroe Islands, an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark, located between Iceland, Norway, and the UK.
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The two hunts reportedly took place on Saturday (5 Jul) and resulted in the deaths of 91 whales, including juveniles and four pregnant females, according to a conservation charity.
One of the whales was in the process of giving birth when her pod was driven onto the beach and killed, it’s said.
The hunts occurred just days after an extraordinary rescue operation in nearby Iceland, where volunteers and emergency teams successfully saved more than 60 pilot whales stranded on a beach, as reported by Need To Know.
A Sea Shepherd spokesperson said: “The first hunt on July 5 took place on the island of Suðuroy without public notice.
“By the time Sea Shepherd received word through local anti-whaling allies, the hunt was already over and 40 whales were dead, including an unknown number of juveniles and unborn calves.
“Later that same day, a second grind was initiated in Bøur.
“Sea Shepherd crew were on the ground documenting as 51 pilot whales were driven ashore and killed, among them six juveniles and four pregnant females.
“One whale was actively giving birth during the drive hunt – a moment of profound suffering captured on film by Sea Shepherd.
“These unborn calves never saw the ocean, never had the chance to live.
“This wasn’t just the loss of individuals – it was the erasure of entire family lines.
“With these two hunts, the total number of grinds in the Faroe Islands in 2025 rises to four.”
“The timing is especially poignant following the 21 June mass stranding in Ólafsfjörður, Iceland.
“There, local residents and rescue workers entered freezing waters to save every single whale, demonstrating the possibility of a different relationship with these intelligent marine mammals.”
Sea Shepherd has called on the Faroese government to end the grindadráp and on the silent majority of Faroese citizens who oppose these hunts to speak out publicly.
The spokesman added: “Change will not come without pressure from within the community.”
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