Copenhagen's iconic Little Mermaid statue is doused in red paint by animal rights activists protesting against whale slaughter

A Little Mermaid statue has been coated in red paint by animal rights activists protesting brutal whale hunts in Denmark. The 94-year-old monument, a tribute to Danish storyteller Hans Christian Andersen, was found covered in paint on Tuesday morning.

Vandals had then written 'Denmark defend the whales of the Faroe Islands' on a footpath nearby.

Every year around 800 pilot whales are herded into coves on the Faroe Islands before being stabbed to death during a hunt known as grindadrap - or 'the grind'. Traditionally a bonfire was lit when a pod of whales was spotted near the islands in order to alert fishermen to ready their boats.

Today word spreads on social media before the vessels head out to drive the mammals into the shore. Hunters armed with knives mounted on long poles then gather in a cove, where they kill the animals by severing their spinal chords and arteries.

The practice dates back at least 300 years. Locals say the whales are not under threat and the killings violate no laws.


Source: Daily Mail
Wed 31 May 2017 at 07:01