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Thursday, May 9, 2024

Iceland suspends whale hunt on animal welfare concerns

It now looks doubtful the nation’s last remaining whaling company, Hvalur, would head out to sea so late in the season

REYKJAVIK – Iceland’s government said Tuesday it was suspending this year’s whale hunt until the end of August due to animal welfare concerns, likely bringing the controversial practice to a historic end.

Animal rights groups and environmentalists hailed the decision, with the Humane Society International calling it “a major milestone in compassionate whale conservation”.

“I have taken the decision to suspend whaling” until August 31, Food Minister Svandis Svavarsdottir said in a statement, after a government-commissioned report concluded the hunt does not comply with Iceland’s Animal Welfare Act.

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