Drive hunting is a brutal practice where dolphins and small whales are herded into shallow bays or onto beaches using boats and loud noises. Once trapped, their escape is blocked with nets, leaving them at the mercy of hunters. In some countries, these animals are slaughtered for meat; in others, they are captured alive and sold to marine parks and aquariums around the world.
Despite international outrage, drive hunts still take place today.
Faroe Islands – The Grindadráp: Tradition or Cruelty?
Every year in the Faroe Islands, an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark, entire pods of pilot whales and dolphins are driven into shallow bays and brutally slaughtered in a practice known as the Grindadráp – causing immense suffering and having no place in the modern world.
The first grind of 2026 took place on May 4, when approximately 100-120 pilot whales, along with several white-sided dolphins that were travelling with them, were killed. While some locals continue to frame these hunts as cultural heritage, the heavy use of modern technology raises serious questions about whether they can still be meaningfully described as ‘traditional.’ The grind has, in practice, changed dramatically: whereas historical hunts relied on slow-moving boats, coordination from shore, and relatively simple tools, modern grinds are frequently carried out using fast motorboats and jet skis to rapidly herd and exhaust animals – methods that bear little resemblance to earlier practices.
The brutality of these hunts is horrific and shocking, yet tourism leaders and Faroese officials still defend them. While 83% of Faroese people support pilot whale hunts, 70% oppose extending the killing to other dolphin species.
How long will these killings be allowed to continue? Culture should never be used as a shield to justify cruelty.
Japan – Taiji Dolphin and Small Whale Hunt: A Harsh Reality
Every year, in the quiet coastal town of Taiji, Japan, nearly 2,000 dolphins and small whales face a terrifying ordeal. From September to March, local fishermen use motorboats and relentless noise—banging metal poles underwater—to create a wall of sound that herds these intelligent, social creatures away from the open sea and into a shallow, netted cove. Trapped and confused, families of dolphins are torn apart. Many are brutally slaughtered for their meat, a practice that has sparked global outrage. Others, including vulnerable mothers and calves, are sold alive to marine parks and aquariums, where they are removed from everything they know and loved—condemned to a life in captivity. Calves are separated from their mothers, and many dolphins that aren’t selected for captivity are pushed back into the ocean, but their chances of survival are slim. This annual hunt not only causes immense suffering but also raises urgent questions about animal welfare, conservation, and humanity’s responsibility to protect these remarkable creatures.
For the 2024/25 season (September to February), a total quota of 1,824 cetaceans was set. Despite growing international condemnation, an estimated 301 cetaceans were killed for their meat, including 23 short-finned pilot whales, 31 bottlenose dolphins, and 48 Risso’s dolphins. In addition, up to 99 dolphins were captured for the captivity industry – 94 bottlenose dolphins, three striped dolphins, and two Risso’s dolphins. Many young calves were also separated from their mothers and released back into the ocean, often at an age too young to survive independently. For the 2025/26 season, the quota was set at 1,814 cetaceans. Reports indicate that 393 were killed, including striped dolphins, Risso’s dolphins, and short-finned pilot whales. A further 84 were taken into captivity for public display, 81 of which were bottlenose dolphins.
Despite widespread criticism, the Taiji government continues to defend these hunts as a centuries-old tradition, claiming they are integral to the town’s heritage and economy. Local fishermen maintain that the hunts are essential to their livelihoods and show no intention of stopping. The question remains: how much longer will Taiji continue to profit from the suffering and exploitation of these highly intelligent, sentient animals?
