Endangered Whale Meat Used in Japanese Dog Food

The Icelandic fishing industry will begin commercial whale hunting this summer, but some activists are critical of the unnecessary uses of the meat. According to environmentalist groups, more than 180 of the endangered North Atlantic fin whales will be killed this year, and some of that meat will be put into dog food. “What the Japanese public must ask ourselves is ‘Just because it’s cheap, do our morals allow turning endangered species, which don’t belong to Japan, into dog treats and selling them online?’” says Nanami Kurasawa, executive director of the Japanese conservation group Iruka and Kujira (Dolphin and Whale) Action Network.