"We visited the Faroe Islands for seven days and were enchanted by the fairytale landscapes they offer, as well as by the kindness and way of life of the Faroese people. We were aware of the Grindadrap tradition thanks to national and international media, but we didn't think we would stumble upon such an event by chance. While heading to Vestmanna, on the way to Skalabotn, we saw boats circling dolphins and driving them towards the shore, where a large crowd was waiting.

We went there as well, and the small village was congested with cars and even work vehicles hastily abandoned by the Faroese for the occasion. Men, women, but especially many young people and children were on the shore. The boats eventually forced the dolphins to strand, and the assault began. We realized on the spot that even images cannot fully capture the dramatic nature of the event, during which men and women of all ages slaughtered, with evident satisfaction, hundreds of cetaceans unlucky enough to find themselves in that fjord, including the calves, whose heart-wrenching cries on the shore will stay with us. We will also remember the many dolphins, writhing in their own blood, agonizing due to blows evidently delivered with either incompetence or indifference by those who should have had at least the decency to give them a quick death. When it was all over, most people simply left the scene as they had come, with knives sheathed in orange covers tied to their waists, smiling at the children who were with them.

After the Grindadrap, we continued our journey, still admiring the fairytale landscapes, but with a sense of unease that prevented us from fully enjoying their beauty. It was right to witness it, to have a complete picture of the place we decided to visit, but “luckily” it happened on our last day. The beauty of the Faroe Islands, and even that of its inhabitants, stands in stark and brutal contrast with this practice, which is unacceptable in 2024, but more importantly, unnecessary. We wonder what drives even very young people, with full access to today’s information, to deliberately kill sentient and social creatures without valid reasons, creatures they probably won’t even eat. We wonder where the politics and international laws are, and why the European Union and Denmark do not exert their influence over these islands, using the many tools, even economic ones, at their disposal.

Perhaps this practice would be more justifiable if it were carried out because of genuine necessity; it wouldn’t be much different from killing any animal in our sadly notorious factory farms. However, this is not the case; here, animals are killed not out of necessity but for pleasure and tradition. The purpose with which a sentient animal is killed makes a substantial difference on these islands. When killing is done for pleasure or without a real need, the first condemnation should come from the Faroese themselves." 

With thanks to Vincenzo and Gabriele, who have given Sea Shepherd permission to share their text and images. 

Also read: "Inside Taiji’s Killing Cove: A Personal Account from Sea Shepherd’s CEO"