Shocking video shows Chinese caterers carving a massive eight-tonne whale next to their canteen
In the disturbing clip, a chef can be seen sharpening his knife before slaughtering the animal
THIS is the stomach-churning moment a massive whale is sawed to pieces in front of a horrified crowd.
Shocking footage emerged yesterday showing meat being sawed off an eight-tonne carcass in public near a canteen in China.
The giant mammal believed to be a Bryde’s whale was purchased by the bosses from fishermen in the city of Xinyu, in Jiangxi Province on China’s eastern coast.
The whale, which is a second-class state-protected species in China, was then transported from the seaside into city, where it was hoisted into company grounds then butchered near the canteen attracting the attention of locals.
In the clip, a chef can be seen sharpening his knife before slaughtering the animal while two other employees can be seen jacking off its tail.
Witnesses said the meat, which is considered an extremely rare and expensive delicacy, was divided among the staff and was announced as a reward for their hard work last year.
Staff members will reportedly be able to bring the meat back to their hometowns when they go on breaks later this month for Chinese New Year - starting on January 28.
But as the capture and trade of whales are strictly regulated in China, authorities have unsurprisingly also become involved in the disturbing case.
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Officials at the Xinyu City Bureau of Fisheries - under China’s Ministry of Agriculture - said the hunting, trading, and transporting of whales is legal in the country - but dealers must hold a number of licences and permits.
China was one of the early signatories of the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling - an international environmental agreement signed in 1946 in order to "provide for the proper conservation of whale stocks and thus make possible the orderly development of the whaling industry".
China signed convention in September 1980 and banned domestic whaling in 1981.
The country also signed in the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals.
Authorities are now investigating the case.
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