LOS ANGELES: In a move that has animal rights activists pleased, shark fin was taken off the menu at the Hong Kong-based chain of Shangri-La hotels Wednesday, in a significant breakthrough for those campaigning for a ban on the dish. The chain – which has 72 hotels and resorts worldwide – said it would stop serving shark fin with immediate effect, although existing banquet bookings would be honored. The move has left animal rights activists praising the move, telling Bikyamasr.com that it was the “right thing to do.” “As someone who liked to go to these places in the past, I think it shows character and helps develop the idea that endangered animals are important to protect,” Mary Chan, a Los Angeles-based animal rights activist and vegan, told Bikyamasr.com. In a statement, the chain said it would also phase out threatened Bluefin tuna and Chilean sea bass by the end of 2012 as part of what it called a sustainable seafood policy. The move comes two months after the Peninsula Hotel in Hong Kong became the first major hotel in the city to take shark fin off its menu. Tens of million of sharks die every year to supply demand for shark fin, which is particularly popular in China over the Lunar New Year holiday which begins next week. Environmental groups say the trade, and the cruel practice of finning sharks and dumping them in the sea to die, are putting shark populations at risk. BM ShortURL: http://goo.gl/9JTHo Tags: Animal Rights, Hotel, Shangri-la, Shark fin Soup Section: Animals, Food, Travel
