The bloodbath begins as soon as the animals reach the shallows. Wielding spears and hooks, islanders wade toward the thrashing, terrified animals en masse. Young and old alike slam heavy metal crowbar-like hooks, called gaffs, into the helpless whales’ bodies – often into the ultra-sensitive blowhole.
Together with ropes, gaffs are a means of securing the writhing animals. Within minutes, the sea runs red with the animals’ blood, as locals knife through their flesh in an attempt to hack through the [...]
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