Lesser Known Slaughters

Today I will be talking about two slaughters in particular, the dolphin slaughter in the Solomon Islands and Peru, and also the pilot whale slaughter in the Faeroe Islands. These have not been as publicised as the Taiji hunt, but are nevertheless just as barbaric and unnecessary.

    I shall first start with the Solomon Islands slaughter, which mainly occurs on the island of Malaita. Spanning over 450 years, dolphin hunting has long been tradition for the local peoples, using their catch to share out between the households, as well as use the teeth as local currency and jewellery, and even bridal dowries. However, due to the ever-flourishing demand for live dolphins to fill the more and more new parks being built, it has become a whole lot more lucrative. But not necessarily for the local population, as western dealers have begun to operate on the islands, buying and selling the live dolphins to the industry, for a huge profit. It is also unknown how many dolphins are actually killed each hunting season, which runs from December to April when the dolphins come closer to shore. They use traditional drive hunt methods, using sticks and stones on the water to drive the dolphins into the shallow waters, where the attractive ones are chosen and taken to a holding pen, and the others are left to be butchered. The dolphins that are hunted tend to be spotted and spinner dolphins, along with the (Indo- Pacific) bottlenose which is the ideal candidate for the dolphinarium industry.

    A bottlenose being caught in the Solomons. (Photo from Google images).

    In 2003, 200 bottlenose dolphins were captured and held in holding pens, and in July of that year 28 were shipped over to Cancun, Mexico, in order to fill up the Atlandida facility in Parque Nizuc. The facility offers swim with dolphin and 'how to be a trainer' programs. This shipment caused huge controversy as the Indo-Pacific bottlenose is listed as endangered in Appendix II of  the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), and this urged the Solomon Islands to reconsider. What caused even more controversy is that within a month one dolphin had already died, and then over the next 5 years 11 more followed. Mexico then reacted by imposing a ban on all imports and exports of live cetaceans for the entertainment industry. The Chairman for the Committee of Environment, Natural Resources and Fisheries even released a statement urging other countries to avoid live imports from the Solomon Islands. The live export was then banned in the Solomons in 2005 in order to protect their multi-million dollar tuna industry, and in 2007 they became a member of CITES. However, despite this, they still sanctioned the live export of 100 dolphins a year, something that could only have been caused by the impending opening of the Atlantis resort in Dubai. This was of course to have a huge aquarium within it and also a dolphin complex, and needed filling with dolphins. The Solomons provided and shipped 28 bottlenose dolphins over in October of 2007, which cost over $100,000 US dollars in government tax. Ironically, the resort even has a 'dolphin education' centre, in order to educate the visitors who wish to swim with the dolphins. No surprise that the origins of the dolphins they are feeding and handling are left out of the educational talk.

   So, why this huge demand in the Solomon Islands? It does seem unlikely that a small and relatively un-westernised place can be so lucrative when it comes to the multi-billion dollar dolphin-trafficking racket. Well, that's because it is, it isn't run by the local population at all, and in fact they hardly see a penny from the sale of the dolphins they catch. This is because it is run and controlled by a middle-man, a ruthless and exploitative dolphin dealer. There are many who work in the Solomon Islands, paying off the local fisherman to catch them a nice-looking bottlenose, then selling for up to $165,000 each to any facility that is in need of fresh stock. A list of all the facilities which use Solomon Islands dolphins can be found here.One of the most infamous dolphin dealers is a man called Chris Porter, the man who once trained the just as infamous orca, Tilikum. For the last ten years he has been living over in the Solomon Islands, setting himself up as some sort of 'dolphin chief', living among the locals and doing deals with the fishermen in order to meet his quotas for live dolphins.He has in fact exported 83 dolphins throughout this time. He keeps the dolphins in small holding pens, often just old swimming pools, before they are bought and shipped over to any far-reaching countries in need of fresh dolphins. An interesting clip can be found here, showing him in his element with the locals, wearing dolphin teeth and showing Linc O'Barry what the dolphin trade is all about. The clip is from the series 'Blood Dolphins', in which Ric and Linc O'Barry set out to expose the live dolphin trade. It is in this series that Ric finally meets Chris for the first time and also manages to change his perspective on the dolphin trade. A moving clip of Chris breaking down whilst setting free some of his dolphins can be seen here. After this revelation, in which the death of Dawn Brancheau played an influential part, he has since pledged to free all his captured dolphins and even started a project, Free the Pod. This aims to release the remaining pod of 17 dolphins back into the wild, while also striving to develop a sustainable alternative for the local people of Gavutuhere.

   However, there is some bad news to equal it out, and this comes in the form of another dolphin dealer called Francis Chow. He has reportedly got 8 dolphins trapped in a tiny pen, near his seaside property, and is merely 'trying to make business'. So, despite the huge successes that have been experienced in the Solomon Islands lately, the business is still being kept afloat by the demand from parks for live dolphins. However according to Mr. Chow, the price of a dolphin is now just $50,000- so one can only hope that the business shall soon dry out altogether.

   So, onto the next subtopic, the slaughter in Peru, which if I am honest I have only come to know about very recently, as it has hardly any publicity at all. It was first introduced by Italian settlers in the 1960s, who begun to eat the dolphins who were accidentally caught up in fishing nets, it soon expanded and was at its worst during the 1980s and 1990s, in which about 20,000 dolphins were being killed annually for their meat. The most common to be targeted is the Dusky dolphin and bottlenose. However, it was prohibited by Supreme Decree in 1990, and completely outlawed in 1995, along with the eating and selling of any dolphin meat products. This prohibition didn't stem the hunting though, as even now up to 3,000 dolphins are slaughtered illegally along the Peruvian coast, then sold on the black market and at fish markets. There have been several sightings and reports from tourists and locals, who claim to have seen fishing boats surround a whole pod and then harpoon them, drag them aboard and club them to death. The NGO Mundo Azul (Blue World) runs education programs for local schools and businesses, and even training for the police force along the coast. they also operate under-cover operations in order to directly infiltrate dolphin hunters and dealers. Their very informative website can be found here.

     And here we are onto the last subtopic, that of the slaughter of pilot whales in the Faeroe Islands, also known as The Grind. Whaling in the Faeroe's has long been tradition, having being recorded and practised since about 1584. The method of the hunt has hardly changed, except for the use of motor boats and the use of gaffs (sharp hooks) being discouraged. The hunt has always been tradition in the 17 populated islands, and it is a community event where everyone can get involved, even children, though the killing is primarily left to the males of the household. The hunt mainly focuses on long and short finned pilot whales, although white-sided dolphins and bottlenose whales have also know to be caught. The Faeroese use the meat from the hunt, which is freshly butchered on the harbour side, and is then share it out about the community. However, the hunt has caused huge controversy in recent years, due to its cruelty and the fact it is deemed unnecessary. The hunt itself is just like any other drive hunt, where the whales are driven onto the shore using a wall of sound created by the boats and sticks and stones. Once on the shore, they are hooked in their blow holes using a gaff (or blunt gaff), and then dragged further inland to be killed. The method of killing may take up to 4 minutes, as it depends on the skill and strength of the hunter, who must slice into the blubber on top of the whale and cut the arteries and spinal cord. All this is going on with the whales family members at his side, looking on in terror. The water turns blood-red as the whales splash about in shear pain and panic. About 1000 are killed this way each year.

Above: a man using a gaff while the blood flows. Below: a typical cut, right through to the spinal cord.

(Photos from Google images)

  Despite the international pressure to stop the hunt, both from NGOs and governmental organisations such  as the EU. This is because the Faeroe Islands are still a Danish Protectorate, and Denmark is a member of the EU who has signed the Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats, which lists the pilot whale as 'strictly protected'. So basically, the Faeroese have refused to become a part of Denmark and the EU in order to protect their whaling industry. This can be read in full here. The hunt is considered so barbaric by organisations against whale hunting, even more so since the Sea Shepherd released their undercover photographs of the hunt, showing dead pilot whales with foetuses still attached to them, simply ripped from their womb. This type of savage murder has to be questioned, especially when considering the argument of 'tradition'.

A baby whale still attached to its dead mother by the umbilical cord. Truly tragic. (Photo Google images)

    Another cause for controversy is the question- do they actually eat all the meat? And more importantly, why? Well, to answer the first question, no they do not. A report has been done by the Sea Shepherd that shows a 'grave yard' of corpses, some still whole and untouched, just off one of the main hunting beaches. The report can be found here. So as for the meat debate, well it is now a well known fact that the mercury levels in the meat are far beyond dangerous, so much so that in 2008 even the Faeroese government and health ministry warned not to eat it, as it is no longer safe for human consumption. This supports the argument that it is not only dangerous, but also totally unnecessary in today's times. There are so many other food options available to the Faeroe Islands now, so surely it can't be worth the health risk?

However, there has been much support from the Sea Shepherd on this issue, who have created the Grind Stop operation, uncovering truths and trying to prevent further slaughters. A video compilation of a typical Grind slaughter can be found here.

 So that ends today's topic, sorry if it has been a bit dry. I am tired and if I am honest am just really looking forward to getting onto the captivity issues, as it really is a minefield of contradiction, corruption and cruelty, and there is so much to write about! Till next time. :)