Social media went abuzz with anger this week after “Masterchef Thailand”, a popular TV cooking show, let their chefs whip up dishes using endangered spotted eagle rays.
In Thailand, it’s not currently illegal to cook and fish for eagle rays–outside of national parks or other protected areas–but the “Masterchef’s” use of the endangered animal could inspire many more Thai people to use the special ingredient in dishes.
That potential fact and the outrage over the spotted eagle rays being used has prompted Thailand’s Marine and Coastal Resources Department to draw up a plan that would protect eagle rays under Thai animal-conservation law.
Thailand attorney Jitsopin Narasettapong notes that while it’s not specifically prohibited, according to domestic Thai law, to cook spotted eagle rays, it is highly inappropriate as the animal is listed as vulnerable to extinction by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
“Masterchef” producers stated that eagle rays are a widely used ingredient in Thai dishes and that they are not the first reality cooking TV show in Thailand to use them.
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