Thanks pal, that's pretty much half my family you've just put down. Why don't you do a little research before insulting a race of people you clearly know nothing about? Do you understand how life on an island actully works? The Faroe Islands are located pretty much in the Arctic Circle, there's not much going on up there. They have to import some goods, but before that was possible, they had to resort to whaling in order to survive. The whale meat can last up to 6 months in some households, it isn't exported (or it's not supposed to be) and the oil is used for all sorts of purposes. In this way, the islands are almost self sustaining; they take from the ocean only what they need and allow the population to regrow so that it doesnt get to high or low. The fact that the animals they catch are common whales is irrelevant, it's just what they need to survive, it's no more worse than fishing for shrimp or haddock, how can it be? And, while we're at it, vegetarians and activists don't have a copyright on what's 'good or bad', it's relative to each individual person. You might think it's cruel, but they don't and you aren't going to convince them otherwise because it's what they've always done, it's allowed them to survive so why change it? Why should a whole race of people change their customs to suit a Westernised set of values they can't relate to? Do you not understand that each culture has it's own values and morals?
They're not allowed to use harpoons or anything like that either. They have to get into the water and kill each whale individually and with precision.
Well with all due respect they still feel pain and suffer if harmed, which is what the whole 'cruelty' against it is all about. Whether or not it realises it's being hunted is by the by. Again, pigs, cows and sheep are sentient (pigs are very intelligent), so why do we have no qualms about eating a bacon sandwich?
Hold on, read my posts "So whilst I do not hunt myself, I am happy to eat the products of it." I am not a vegetarian, I eat meat, but I do not hunt. I eat fish, but I do not fish. Who are you to try to impose your values on me? Where in any of my posts have I said that I kill for sport? I made it clear that when I took up diving I thought it would be fine to take a lobster for the pot, but I prefer to video them. I dived two weeks ago and enjoyed the privilege of watching Sea Bass swimming about in their natural environment and I am happy to get criticism for having one for dinner two days later, but the one I ate came from the supermarket chiller and was produced in a fish farm in the med.
It's called becoming civilised - joining the 21st century - makes you wonder why slavery was ever abolished - some things are just plain wrong and butchering whales is one of them - anyway, enough said, we will never agree on this one
They aren't cannibals who worship a mountain, they just eat a few whales, why is it so hard to comprehend? The things you think are wrong apply to you, the paradigms of right and wrong, good and bad apply to you because of the society you grew up in. You're fortunate enough to live in a country where most of the choices regarding food, warmth and shelter are made for you and are second nature. It might seem uncouth and barbaric to you as a Westernised person, but that doesn't make it so. Why is the way we do something the 'right way' and the way they do it is wrong? If they were killing them for ****s and giggles you might have a point, but there's a whole industry, culture and history to it, much in the same way that Hull has a fishing heritage that we're so proud of and yet millions of fish died to make that a reality. Were we cheering when the industry died a death? No, people were miserable because it cost them jobs, homes and money. If the whaling in the Faroes was abolished, it would have the same effect.
Try watching the Alaska documentaries and you will see plenty of moving targets (bears, elk, wolf) it happens for food or sport, it's a necessary part of getting food and an unnecessary evil when called sport. You might not know them, but they are out there. Grouse were specifically mentioned and they are bred by gamekeepers, my comment was in context to the earlier discussion. There are other examples but that proves that point.
On another tack - the Cecil did do one, courtesy of the Luftwaffe in 1941 (?) http://www.davewilliams.bugs3.com/cecil.html
Did you read the article that I posted? The managed environment of a grouse shoot, is beneficial to other species of bird. Not all grouse are bred by game keepers and I stand by the point that if it was not for rich folk wanting to shoot then, the numbers would be far less. As for shooting a moving animal, its wrong in my opinion as it can be reasonably expected that the result will be injury rather than death. Its not a responsible thing to do and as I have also said I do not know anyone who would do it. http://animalrights.about.com/od/wildlife/f/HuntingAccident.htm "According to the International Hunter Education Association,approximately 1,000 people in the US and Canada are accidentally shot by hunters every year, and just under a hundred of those accidents are fatalities. Most victims are hunters, but non-hunters are also sometimes killed or injured. Although some other forms of recreation cause more fatalities, hunting is one of the few activities that endangers the entire community, and not just the willing participants."
The hunter becomes the hunted. How could anyone want to kill such a beautiful animal? See the video at the bottom... http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/cecil-lion-zimbabwe-begins-extradition-6169649
History and heritage, like it or not Hull was a whaling port and many of our fore bearers earnt a living from the trade. I don't like the taste, but whale meat is on sale in Norway. I do not think that the Faroe Islands are doing anything wrong. Norway does not need whale meat, neither does Japan and it is right that the trade is condemned. I support the aims of Greenpeace in stopping the trade and exploitation of whales, but I also support the right of people like the Faroe Islanders to harvest pilot whales in order to preserve their community.
then hopefully you should also support the right of Sea Shepherd to preserve the pilot whales and defend the defenceless
Then hopefully you should also support the right of the Royal Danish Navy to sink Sea Shepherd's vessels for posing a threat to the Faroese people and engaging in eco-terrorism.
There are approx 780,000 pilot whales, the Faroe Islands do not trade in whale products, they use the 250 or so that they take. I think that there is a difference in trade and use.
Denmark should butt out - it's a breach of EU law - maybe the Faroes are not in the EU but Denmark is
Doesn't matter. Denmark can't, by law, participate in whaling but the Royal Danish Navy protects the Faroe Islands as it is part of the Danish Realm. The Falklands aren't in the EU but the British armed forces have an obligation to protect them if they are under threat. Same rule applies here.
I guess someone read a facebook post and has got all high and mighty without knowing the facts .. eh Charon
Those whales must be ****ing dim to keep going back for 700 years. Any other species would never go near those islands again.
