Sea turns blood red as entire village including young children round up and slaughter 180 whales in preparation for the harsh winter months on the remote Faroe Islands

These images show dozens of villagers on a remote Atlantic island hunting down and slaughtering a pod of whales, colouring the water red with blood.  

The practice, known as whale driving, saw children as young as five take part in the hunt of some 180 whales in the village of Sandavágur on Vágar island last month.

Every summer, hundreds of pilot and beaked whales are killed across the Faroe Islands, a Danish archipelago located hundreds of miles off the Scottish coast between Norway and Iceland. 

Hunting season: Dozens of villagers on Vágar, Faroe Islands, gather to help out in the hunting and butchering of a pod of some 180 whales 

Butchers: The carcass of a whale is dragged through the water before it is cut up on land by the locals 

Tradition: Whale herding looks brutal, but the local government has hit back at critics saying the hunt is sustainable and each whale provides several hundreds of kilos of food for the locals throughout the harsh winter months

The local government says the annual whale hunts ensures that those living on the Faroe Islands, which offers limited opportunities for farming, are able to import less food from abroad

Pull them in: Locals use ropes to pull in the whales' bodies in order to butcher them for meat and blubber

Bloody tradition: Several dead whales lay in the shallows, their blood colouring the sea water red

 All in this together: When a pod of whales is herded into the bay, it is time for the whole village to get to work 

So it begins: Fishing boats are seen out at sea, herding the pod of whales into the bay of the village

Team effort: As the whales reach the shore, dozens of villagers run out into the water to take part in the hunt

Hunted: The whales have been driven into the shallows where locals then jump in and kill them using a 'spinal lance'

Two young Faroe men have killed a whale  which is now bleeding out into the water

Aftermath: The bay on a Faroe Island is red with whale blood after the hunt is over

Remote location: The islands, which are a part of Denmark, are located in the Atlantic - between Norway and Iceland

ARE YOU HAVING A STORY FOR US; OR AN ARTICLE..? JUST EMAIL US AT; JONATHMANIA@GMAIL.COM