Conservationists have reacted with fury after a sickening video emerged of a whale shark being sawn to pieces while still alive.
The footage shows the huge creature being butchered by two men in front of a large crowd including young children at a market in China.
Chinese media reported that onlookers gasped in horror – though some were seen taking pictures on their phones – during the slaughter in Yangjiang in the country’s southern Guangdong province.
As the butchers set to work by chopping off the tail of the 12ft shark, its mouth is seen moving as it apparently gasps for breath.
But the men continue to cut it into pieces, slicing off huge chunks of flesh as liquid pours from the animal’s body.
The South China Morning Post quoted an academic from the Songshuhui Association of Science Communicators verifying that the animal was a whale shark, a vulnerable species which is protected by law. Its slaughter can result in criminal charges for hunters, the newspaper said.
Ali Hood, Director of Conservation for the Shark Trust charity 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."
“Valued for their impressive fins, meat and liver oil, whale sharks are extremely vulnerable to overfishing often caught up in bycatch of larger fishing operations or targeted by artisanal fleets. Although listed under Appendix II of CITES and under the Convention for Migratory Species – the enforcement of domestic regulations can often lag behind.”
