Dear friends, One of the most brutal whale hunts in the world is the Faroe Islands grindadráp, or grind. Pilot whales and other marine mammals are ruthlessly slaughtered, turning the bays red with their blood. During a grind, a dozen or so small boats drive a family group of long-finned pilot whales, or sometimes bottlenosed, Risso's or white-sided dolphins, into shallow bays where the rest of the whaling team waits with knives to stab the animals and sever their spinal cords – leaving them to bleed out in the bay. This graphic and inhumane scene has been playing out for centuries – and once played an important role in providing protein for the communities which live on the rocky islands. But due to health concerns caused by the high levels of mercury and other pollution in the marine mammals, the meat is no longer needed. Despite these facts, and in violation of international habitat agreements, Denmark continues to mobilize the full weight of their government – including the navy, police and customs officers – to support the grinds. If enough of us sign on and speak out, we can convince the European Commission to enforce their agreements and end Denmark's support for this horrible torture of marine wildlife. Thank you for taking action,  | | Aaron V.
The Care2 Petitions Team |
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