The whale shark, Rhincodon typus, is the world’s largest living fish. This gentle, slow-moving giant is a filter feeder, and can reach lengths of 46 feet and weigh up to 66,000 pounds.
These animals do not pose a significant danger to humans, despite their enormous size, and young whale sharks are often very playful, so it leads one to wonder why someone, anyone would want to butcher a whale shark while it was still living. They are considered a “vulnerable species” around the world but are still hunted in parts of Asia, such as Taiwan and China.
The video circulating on the web is nothing more than a display of animal cruelty at its worst. While a crowd of people stands nearby watching, a whale shark meets a gruesome end by being sawed into pieces, while still alive.
The two-minute long video shows two men attacking the shark with a cross-cut saw, first chopping off its magnificent tail fin. As the animal’s mouth slowly opens and closes, they then proceed to move up the animal, slicing off large chunks of its body to be sold in a nearby market.
According to the Daily Mail, animal rights activists and shark conservation groups are outraged by the video, which was shot someplace in China. Ali Hood, the director of conservation at The Shark Trust said, “The footage of a whale shark being butchered whilst apparently still alive has appalled Shark Trust supporters. To see such a magnificent, placid animal treated with such little dignity demonstrates to the Shark Trust how vital it is to continue to raise awareness as to the importance of sharks and their relatives to a healthy, balanced marine environment.”
The Inquisiter is reporting that the cameraman behind the video told them he filmed the video in Yangjiang in China’s southern Guangdong province.
