THIS is the horrifying moment young kids watch on as almost 1,500 dolphins are slaughtered on the Faroe Islands.

       The huge pod of 1,428 white-side dolphins was rounded up and killed in the bay of the Skálafj？reuron on Monday night.

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       A small child can be seen watching the slaughter of more than a thousand dolphins on the Credit: SWNS 7

       People can be seen gathered on the shore off the coast of the Faroe Islands Credit: SWNS

       The bloodshed caused the sea to turn red and all the dolphin carcasses were left on the shore after being rounded up and attacked with spears, Tyla reports.

       Video footage shared by activist group Sea Shepherd shows a number of people using ropes to pull the dolphins in as some still thrash around in the sand.

       Kids can be seen watching from the shore and many people film the distressing scenes.

       The Faroe Islands has a tradition of killing dolphins for meat and many see the slaughter - known locally as “grindadráp” - as part of their culture.

       This hunt, however, is said to be the worst in the area's history.

       Some activists argue dolphins are killed to maintain a vital supply of fish to support the fishing trade.

       But Blue Planet Society took to social media to condemn the mass killing on Monday, describing the murder as "hideously cruel" and "irresponsible".

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       "There is absolutely no excuse for a modern, wealthy country to be continuing with such archaic and barbaric animal cruelty in the 21st century," they said.

       John Hourston, a volunteer for the organisation, told Tyla: "The unsustainable slaughter of 1,428 dolphins appears to be unprecedented.

       "Some Faroe islanders are calling it the biggest grindadráp in history and there are records dating back to 1,584.

       "In sheer numbers it's comparable to the mass slaughter of the north American bison and we all know what happened then.

       "Denmark and the EU can't turn a blind eye to this one. We're talking about a population level slaughter, a massacre of a protected species."

       The group went on to urge the EU, alongside Denmark authorities, to end the cruel practice.

       Until now, the largest dolphin hunt on the Faroe Islands was that of 430 white-sided dolphins, which were killed in Hvalba back in 2013.

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       The dolphins were stabbed with spears in the brutal slaughter Credit: SWNS

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       The killing spree saw nearly 1,500 animals killed Credit: SWNS 7

       It is believed to be the biggest dolphin hunt in the island's history Credit: SWNS 7

       The water turned red in the blood bath Credit: SWNS

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