ICELAND — An Icelandic millionaire responsible for the offing of a giant blue whale hybrid says he is going to do it again.
Animal rights campaigners say an endangered blue whale was harpooned and killed off the west coast of Iceland on July 8 by Hvalur hf owner Kristján Loftsson.
In a response to the campaigners' accusation, Loftsson told the Telegraph he was pretty confident that genetic tests would confirm the whale was a hybrid species and not a blue whale.
Loftsson says his company usually kills fin whales and if they see a blue whale in the ocean, they leave it alone.
Iceland's Marine Research Institute carried out genetic analysis and confirmed the animal was the offspring of a female blue and a male fin whale.
Photos taken by anti-whaling campaign showed the shocking scene of the whale being butchered.
The International Fund for Animal Welfare says hybrids are rare and have previously been recorded by scientists, and are protected by international conventions.
Loftsson said he isn't put off by the conservationists' accusation, he told indy100 that Hvalur hf has a quota of 161 whales for this seasons, starting in early June, however the final tally depends on the weather and could be less.
The Icelandic representative of International Fund for Animal Welfare said they've worked alongside locals for many years to promote whale watching, instead of killing, as it is better for the marine ecosystems, Iceland's tourism industry and its international reputation.
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