It was a horrifying moment as young kids witnessed 1,500 dolphins being slaughtered on the Faroe Islands.
The huge pod of 1,500 white-side dolphins was rounded up and killed in the bay of the Skálafjörðuron on Monday night.
The bloodshed caused the sea to turn red, and all the dolphin carcasses were left on the shore after being rounded up and attacked with spears.
Video footage shared by activist group Sea Shepherd shows a number of people using ropes to pull the dolphins in as some still thrash around in the sand.
The Faroe Islands has a tradition of killing dolphins for meat, and many see the slaughter – known locally as “grindadráp” – as part of their culture.
This hunt, however, is said to be the worst in the area’s history.
Some activists argue dolphins are killed to maintain a vital supply of fish to support the fishing trade.
However, the Blue Planet Society took to social media to condemn the mass killing on Monday, describing the murder as “hideously cruel” and “irresponsible”.
The group went on to urge the EU, alongside Denmark authorities, to end the cruel practice.
Until now, the largest dolphin hunt on the Faroe Islands was that of 430 white-sided dolphins, which were killed in Hvalba back in 2013.
The heinous act is believed to be the biggest dolphin hunt on the island’s history.
