Images of a whale hunt in the Faroe Islands 200 miles north of Scotland have sparked renewed anger from conservationists and animal activists. The pictures show dozens of whales being herded into a bay where they are killed, the sea turning red with their blood.
The hunt took place in the bay of Sandavágur on the western island of Vágar on July 30 and involved pilot whales, according to the government of the Faroe Islands. It was one of several legal hunts that take place every summer in the archipelago. It was documented by Alastair Ward, who said he was visiting to celebrate his graduation from the University of Cambridge in the UK.
Reacting to the images on Twitter, the Blue Planet Society, a UK-based pressure group, condemned the killings, describing the Faroe Islands as an "archaic country" that needs to "join the 21st century."
"These people have no respect, no empathy, and no need," they wrote. "This is entertainment for them."
In a statement to CNN on Friday, the Faroese government described whaling as a "natural part of Faroese life" and rejected accusations that the killings were ritualistic or frivolous.
The hunts have taken place around the islands for centuries. They are closely regulated by the Faroese government and international bodies, including the North Atlantic Marine Mammal Commission (NAMMC).
Pilot whales are not endangered, and current levels of killings in the Faroe Islands do not threaten their sustainability, according to a NAMMC study in 2012.
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