Pilot Whales

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Context

• Passengers of a British cruise ship witnessed a horrific and gruesome event of pilot whales slaughtering in Faroe Islands.
• 78 pilot whales were slaughtered as a part of centuries-old hunting tradition in the Faroe Islands, near the capital of Torshavn Denmark.

Other Details

• Many environmental organizations and experts condemned this outdated and cruel practice.
• British cruise ship also has apologised to passengers to dock its ship in Faroe Islands during this event.
• On an average 800 whales are killed annually, number could go up to 1400.
• After killing the meat and blubber is distributed among the islanders or participants of this practice.

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Pilot whales 

• These whales are a species of oceanic dolphins and are a part of cetaceans.
• These belong to the family Delphinidae and genus Globicephala.

Features/Characteristics

• Having Long-fins, they have bulbous type heads and sickle-shaped flippers.
• Pilot whales are considered second largest members of the dolphin family after killer whale
• NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), estimates their weight upto 5000 pound
• They are medium-sized whales and can be in the range of 19-25 feet.
• By nature they live in a group of generally 20 individuals.

Habitat and distribution

• They are distributed across oceans of the world.
• However these are mainly found in North Atlantic.
• They are also spotted off the coasts of Chile, Argentina, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand.
• Also have presence in temperate and tropical waters of the Indian, Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

What could be done

• Hunting for food and other products.
• Hunting as a part of cultural practices.
• Pollutants such as DDT, cadmium and mercury can affect their survival.
• Some whales are kept in captivity.
• Increasing marine traffic, also disturbs their habitats.
• People should be educated and made aware of the harm caused by such practices.

What could be done

• Legal ban on such practices.
• People should be educated and made aware of the harm caused by such practices.
• People should avoid buying or eating any whale or dolphin meat.
• More steps, governmental or on individual basis, should be taken to discourage any profit motive from such commercial whaling and dolphin hunt
• Anti-whaling and anti-dolphin hunt campaign should be organized.

Conservation Status

• The size of population in 2006 was estimated to be more than 200,000 In 1989 the population was estimated at 778,000
• IUCN's red list of threatened species categorised long finned pilot whales as ‘Least concern’.

Must Read Article:

Blue whale

https://www.iasgyan.in/daily-current-affairs/blue-whales-24

https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/78-whales-slaughtered-in-front-of-passengers-in-faroe-islands-cruise-ship-apologises-4211911