In 2014, more than 113 tons of whale meat was sold to the largest manufacturer of animal feed for the Norwegian fur industry.
Can it get any more wrong than this? According to recent reports, there is an inexplicable link between the unnecessary – and brutal – hunting of whales and the fur industry. Information unearthed by the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) and the Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) reveals that a large portion of the whale meat caught in 2014 was being used for animal feed for the Norwegian fur industry.
This is shocking news, considering that the remaining countries that continue to allow whaling – Norway, Iceland, and Japan – purportedly do so for scientific purposes. Such is maintained, even though there has been no documented scientific research being used in any reputable scientific journal. Nonetheless, the practice continues.
Jennifer Lonsdale, director of the EIA told Think Progress:
“We’ve been really concerned about the fact that whaling continues, and [that] in cahoots with Iceland, [Norway has] been exporting whales to Japan. Why would a wealthy country like Norway insist on carrying on whaling?”
In the past four years, Norway has butchered more whales than any other country. And, according to the documents, has been using a large portion of it to feed animals raised for their fur. In 2014, more than 113 tons of whale meat – the equivalent to about 75 minke whales – was used by Rogaland Pelsdyrfôrlaget, the largest manufacturer of animal feed for the Norwegian fur industry.
“Whaling is inherently cruel and has no place in a civilized society,” said Susan Millward, executive director of AWI, in a statement. “Killing these sentient and magnificent animals to feed suffering animals on fur farms underscores why the world opposes whaling, and clearly demonstrates that Norwegians have no legitimate need for whale meat.”
Because the industry is outdated and unnecessary, activists have been campaigning for an end to whaling for years. Unfortunately, the payoff has been slow.
In case you’re unaware, the fur trade industry is notorious for being one of the cruelest and most ruthless that exists. Animals are stolen from the wild and kept in small cages until they’re killed. And, it is not uncommon for their deaths to be needlessly painful or conducted through barbaric methods, such as electrocution through the anus or gassing so the pelts may be preserved.
While countries may be ignoring a 30-year-old international moratorium on whale hunting, you, at least, can ‘be the change’ you desire to see in the world by raising awareness about the issue.
Please share this article, boycott the use of real fur, and comment your thoughts below!
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I’m from Norway and I didn’t even know we hunted whales at all…
Fishing is a huge part of Norwegian history and was one of the major if not largest part of income for the country before the oil. But I didn’t know that they were actually killing whales just to feed an industry that just brings more animal suffering. Just for aesthetics? I’m not in favor of whaling! Fuck that!
Sorry…
Misinformation and petty emotions are the basis for the arguments of extremist animal rights activists. How is eating whales and wearing fur any different than eating beef and hunting various animals for example deer? Whales are no more intelligent or “sentient” than a freaking cow, and whaling and fur are no worse nor different than the use of any other animal. And don’t give me the b.s. claim that it’s about conservation, for example various species of fish, including sharks and others, are on the decline as a result of overfishing and various types of pollution. But the outrage over overfishing is smaller than the bleeding hearts towards freaking whales.