by Mei Lynn
Do you know what goes behind the scenes every time you eat a bowl of sharks fin soup?
Almost every single Chinese Malaysian has definitely taken a taste at the all-famous and delicious sharks fin soup at some point in their lives. Other than that, the practice is now not only confined to the Chinese alone but also spreading towards the other races in the country; especially the Indians and the Malays.
Look
closely at what the picture is all about and ask yourself whether you would
even contemplate of eating it; a bowl filled with human ears.The picture above is an ad created by a US based human rights association targeted towards Hong Kong's diners. It is part of a campaign to end the annual slaughter of tens of thousands of sharks. A representative from an animal rights associated commented "We would like people to consider what they are eating and if it is cruelly obtained".
These sharks are brutally
hunted down and killed for their fins which fetch a heavy price in Chinese
communities as sharks fin are a common delicacy amongst the Chinese all
around the world.However, what people are not aware of is the activity that goes behind obtaining the shark fin. Shark fins make up approximately 4 to 7% of the shark's total body weight. Usually, the sharks are caught and their fins are chopped off and they are then thrown back into the sea with their open torsos.
Right
now, the number of sharks found all over the country are declining due to
the heightened increase in shark killings over the past decade. Many people
view sharks as a "dangerous animal" and therefore do not participate in
conservation efforts done by organizations to prevent the ever increasing
killings of sharks. People all around should be educated to preserve these
sharks so that they can be around for the next generations to come. It is vital so that our children or grandchildren do not have to learn about sharks through encyclopedias.