On july 19, 2010 the sea shepherds sent a undercover operative, Peter Hammerstedt(also 1st mate on the sea shepherds Bob Barker), to document the grind of a pod of 236 pilot whales in the town of Klaksvik in the Danish Faeroe islands. the grind is a cruel and barbarick method of whaling that involves stranding pods od cetaceans in coves before severing their spinal chords with knives.
Peter Hammerstedt had been living among the ferocious islanders for a week with the identity of a swedish film student. peter heard of a grinding on the radio and headed there immediately. Grossly outnumbered and unable to physically stop the grind, Hammerstedt doumented the bloodshed upon arrival. The government said the deaths of the whales were quick and painless but the newly released footage showed otherwise.
"One whale had 5 to 6 chops in her head, reported Hammerstedt, "she was basically used as a chopping board. her death would have been slow and extremely painful. some whales are hacked repeatedly hacked for up to four minutes before they finally died. Bodies had been cut out of their mothers bodies and left to rot on the docks.
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| baby whale left to rot |
Pilot whales are considered "strictly protected" in the Convention on the Conservation of European Wilfdlife and Natural Habitats. Denmark fails to abide by these obligations by letting the slaughtering continue.
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| whale grinding |
Hammerstedt was ultimately recognized by several hunters due to his role in the Animal Planet TV Series Whale Wars. When the whale killers began to follow hammerstedt at a distance he quickly escaped to his car and uploaded images and footage to get them safely out of the country. he was instructed by Sea Shepherd HQ to exit the country immediately. despite heightened scrutiny and police interrigation hammerstedt has been confirmed to be out of the country.
