We know that many of our readers are avid cruisers, and quite a few are new and soon-to-be cruisers, so we wanted to bring attention to a few cruises that we think it’s best for travelers not to go on. Some of you might know about these harmful cruises already. They’re journeys to the Danish Faroe Islands that force passengers to become accomplices in the killing of innocent pods of pilot whales, including many young and elderly whales, because of laws that mandate tourists point out any whales seen so that they can be exterminated by whalers.
What’s Happening in the Faroe Islands?
For those of you who aren’t familiar with what’s happening near the Faroe Islands, the plight of pilot whales is bleak and it’s getting bleaker every day. The waters surrounding the islands are home to many pods of pilot whales who only want to live a safe existence with their families, just like we humans do. Unfortunately, Faroese whalers slaughter these whales en masse and they’ve enlisted their government to help with the cruelty.
The new Grind Laws of the Faroe Islands make it a criminal offense for any tourist, or anybody in the area, to fail to report pods of whales they see to the local whalers. Therefore, Sea Shepard Founder Captain Paul Watson is urging travelers to stay far away from the Faroe Islands so they don’t find themselves in the position of having to contribute to pilot whale slaughter.
Real-Life Experiences in Government-Sanctioned Slaughter
Just a few months ago, Faroese whalers killed an entire pod of pilot whales because a tourist felt the need to report the pod to nearby whalers. Perhaps conflicted by a threat of criminal conviction, or maybe uneducated about the dire needs of pilot whales to remain hidden during today’s societal atrocities in the area, this tourist was recruited into becoming an assessor to slaughter. It’s time for all tourists to leave themselves out of the equation that puts gentle pilot whales at risk for their lives. It’s time for them to refrain from taking cruises to the Faroe Islands.
If you want to find out more about Captain Paul Watson’s, and Sea Shepard’s, experience with the brutality that’s currently going on in the Faroe Islands, we encourage you to visit the Sea Shepard website. In addition, we encourage you to stay away from cruises that visit the Faroe Islands and to choose any other journey instead. There are many cruises that you can take that don’t put beautiful creatures’ lives at risk.
