Pictures and video have been sweeping through Chinese social media in recent weeks showing a large whale carcass hauled to an office building hundreds of kilometres from the nearest coastline while chefs sharpen their knives.
SBS can confirm that the video was filmed outside Risun Solar Energy Technology Corporation in Xinyu city, with landmarks matching satellite images of the rear of the company’s Jiangxi headquarters.
While the company refused to answer questions, one staff member did confirm the reports with SBS.
Britain’sThe Sun reported that it was intended to be served by chefs as a gift to workers, but it’s unlikely anyone ate the meat.
“Of course not, it was rotten when it arrived,” the employee told SBS.
“It’s really smelly – even if they give it to me I’ll have to think about it,” a witness says in a video uploaded to social media.
Doctor Dave Paton, Principal Investigator at Blue Planet Marine, told SBS the animal was probably a protected species.
“From what I can see of the footage it’s likely one of the large great whales,” he said, “it’s almost certainly a protected species under international agreements.”
“You’re probably looking at an animal that’s 40 to 50 foot, so it could be around 30 tonnes,” he said.
The animal is likely a sub-adult male, he said, adding that it was difficult to identify from the images.
Video (Warning: Graphic Content)
According to Chinese media reports, which vary slightly in their details, the carcass was purchased for use as dog meat, or as a personal gift from one company director to another.
In one video, the whale can be seen being delivered on the back of a truck and left on the road, workers then used two-man saws to cut into the animal while a man in a chef’s hat is seen sharpening knives.
Other graphic images show the animal's internal organs spilling out of a large gash.
The animal was reportedly purchased for 4,000 yuan ($800) from fishermen in the neighbouring Zhejiang province, then transported more than 650km to the company in Xinyu City.
Authorities from both cities have told news outlets they are looking into the legality of the incident, and reportedly ordered the company to bury the animal’s remains.
