Rich Japanese dogs dine on endangered whale

28 May 2013 - 14:24 By Yolisa Mkele
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9-month-old Black and Tan Shiba Inu, showing face markings.
9-month-old Black and Tan Shiba Inu, showing face markings.
Image: Ben White/ Wikipedia

Japanese dogs belonging to well off owners are dining on a different kind of sushi.

According to a report by Agence France-Presse, Wealthy Japanese dog-owners have taken to feeding their pet pooches treats made from endangered North Atlantic fin whales.

The whale’s are caught by Icelandic hunters and sold in Japan as “a low calorie, low fat, high protein snack” says the report.

Michinoku Farm, a Tokyo-based company that offers whale meat treats, offers three different sized packets of whale chews with the price ranging from R57 for a 60g bag to R357 for a 500g bag according to AFP. They also offer other animal treats made from Mongolian horses and kangaroo.

A number of Japanese NGO’s have lashed out at this trend calling it the “the worst kind of conspicuous consumption”.

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