This picture on Twitter of a hammerhead shark with their dorsal fin missing as it has been amputated by cruel fishermen selling shark fins to the shark fin soup businesses makes me thoroughly sick of humankind. Frankly, when I see this sort of picture, I am sick to death of humans and their rank cruelty. And their stupidity and arrogance. Dorsal fins stabilize the shark, keeping it from rolling to the side and helping it swim in a straight line. They sink to the bottom without their dorsal fin and suffocate to death.
The underlying, root cause of this horrendous animal cruelty is that the Chinese believe that shark fins have properties to boost sexual potency, enhance skin quality and increase energy. They also believe that it prevents heart disease and lowers cholesterol. But is there any science behind this at all? No there isn’t. It’s all mumbo-jumbo.
It may even harm people because of the high levels of mercury in shark fins. This horrendous amount of animal cruelty is based upon human superstition which is why I have said that this is rank stupidity. When are the Chinese going to learn and educate themselves about killing animals for no good reason?
It isn’t just shark fins, it’s pangolins which are being eradicated from the planet because they believe the scales have health qualities. The same goes for cat meat. They kill cats brutally – and these are often domestic cats – because they believe if they are partly dead or they been killed brutally then they taste better or they are more beneficial and the whole process is based upon ridiculous superstition with no founding in science. The same cruelty applies to countless other wild animals.
When is humankind going to stop being cruel to animals for superstitious reasons? When are humans going to stop being superstitious in the first place? Superstition is based upon fear. Humankind is a fearful species. They’re frightened of everything and they will do anything to try and alleviate that fear.
Shark finning is a thousand-year-old practice. Yes, they’ve been doing this for a thousand years and they simply slice off the dorsal fin and then put the animal back into the water where they die because they can’t swim properly and therefore, they can’t get enough oxygen into their lungs.
I’m told by the BBC that not only do they believe that it is beneficial in health terms but that it is an indicator of social standing. Shark fin soup has virtually no taste or nutritional value. They add chicken stock or something like that to it to give it flavour.
It is a very expensive meal at US$100 for a bowl of shark fin soup. But as the Chinese have become richer, they can afford it.
It is estimated that as many as 73 million sharks are killed shark fin soup every year. We need to digest that statement. This business is decimating the shark population in the oceans. They’re going to become extinct unless something is done about it.
There needs to be international pressure placed upon China on animal welfare issues. The international community never take up this challenge because they do not see it as important enough. Once again, it tells us how humankind devalues animals. And it is sickening.
I know I have criticised Chinese culture but it needs to be said. I have a right to criticise their culture if it is causing mass cruelty to animals in international waters.
Did you know that sharks are frequently subjected to finning – a cruel practice where their fins are sliced off while they’re still alive? ????
This leaves them helpless in the water, and they eventually sink to the ocean floor, dying of suffocation ???? pic.twitter.com/Uh1dI7KZax
— Herbiⓥore (@herbivore_club) July 17, 2023
