Chain email ...

[Aliantha]

Here's an interesting response to this email:

The Faroe Islands are not part of Denmark. They have their own parliament.

These are not Calderon Dolphins but Pilot Whales and other cetaceans such as Atlantic White-sided dolphins and Bottle-nosed Whales. In fact, I cannot find anywhere any reference to a Calderon Dolphin species.

In reviewing the figures, the North Atlantic Marine Mammal Commission decided that the percentage of 0.1% of current populations killed was well within sustainable limits.
In fact the number of drives has decreased from a 1709 – 1950 total of 1195 to a 2006 total of 11.

1709! Thats right. This practice has been occuring for 300 years.
Now if indeed this is a cultural practice, think of how long it will take to remove/alter this practice from the islanders lives. And these Faroe Islanders have whale meat and blubber as a staple part of their diets.

I think this is a terrible practice as well – however humans have been rearing and catching and eating meat for thousands of years.

For more information : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whaling..._Faroe_Islands

Can we compare this to the Taiji Dolphin Massacres?
The well known Sea Shepherd Conservation Society does not mention the Faroe Islands on their site but has extensive information regarding the occurances at the village of Taiji in Southern Japan : http://www.seashepherd.org/dolphins/...-in-taiji.html

Here dolphins are bombared with sound, herded into a bay, covered with nets and killed the next day.
Not only dolphins are herded into the bay, but Pilot Whales as well.

And heres the real kicker : Killing pilot whales violates Japan’s treaty obligations to the International Whaling Commission.

Both practices seem extremely gruesome to a lot of us.
However I believe greater understanding and correctly directed protest is needed – instead of incorrect mail emails.