The din over shark fin
CHINA says it will ban shark fin soup from official banquets in three years, and despite the vast popularity of the dish, there are signs that a growing number of people are turning down the delicacy symbolizing prestige and generosity. Dong Zhen reports.
The image of bloodied, dying sharks with sawed-off fins and the realization that the shark population is plummeting have mobilized people to save the sharks and remove status-symbol shark fin soup from Chinese menus.
A no-shark-fin campaign is growing across China, the world’s major consumer of the fins. Celebrities and business people are calling on the Chinese to forego the delicacies. They include former NBA star Yao Ming, filmmaker Ang Lee and 300 business tycoons, including Jack Ma, owner of Alibaba.com and Taobao.com, and Wang Shi, who owns Vanke, one of the largest real estate groups in China.
“When the buying stops, the killing can too,” Yao says in a widely seen video.
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Animal rights, also known as animal liberation, is the idea that the most basic interests of non-human animals should be afforded the same consideration as the similar interests of human beings. Advocates approach the issue from different philosophical positions, ranging from the protectionist side of the movement, presented by philosopher Peter Singer—with a utilitarian focus on suffering and consequences, rather than on the concept of rights—to the abolitionist side, represented by law professor Gary Francione, who argues that animals need only one right: the right not to be property. Despite the different approaches, advocates broadly agree that animals should be viewed as non-human persons and members of the moral community, and should not be used as food, clothing, research subjects, or entertainment...WIKI
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