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Giant Rabbits To Feed North Korea

Posted by kdawson on from the mmm-thumper dept.

iamdrscience writes with news of an East German pensioner who breeds rabbits the size of dogs. Karl Szmolinsky won a prize for breeding Germany's largest rabbit, at 23 lbs., in 2006. News photos reached the North Koreans, who asked through their embassy whether Szmolinsky would be willing to sell them some as foodstocks — each rabbit yields about 15 lb. of meat. A deal was struck and Szmolinsky will be traveling to North Korea in April to help them set up a breeding program. (The photos in the article use the most extreme, contrived camera angles to make the rabbits look even more huge.)

8 of 421 comments (clear)

  1. Rabbit Starvation by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabbit_starvation

    1. Re:Rabbit Starvation by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

      Anyone on a standard Western diet will never be in danger of having a protein intake >35% of total caloric intake, which is considered the "danger zone".

      Lean meat is a good thing for Westerners who have a very high fat intake. And genetic modification has little to do with it - most stock are bred conventionally for desirable traits like this (they just use genetic screening to facilitate the breeding to make it as efficient as possible).
      Admittedly, most of the move towards "lean meat" is for economic and "fashion" reasons though. Substituting lean meat for normal meat really doesn't make a huge difference in most diets, and we'd all be better off just increasing fruit and vegetable intake :)

  2. Giant bunnies vs. Just get rid of Kim! by drgonzo59 · · Score: 4, Informative

    North Korea is not like China, not even close. It is very much like Soviet Union under Stalin. It is pretty much a time capsule of the 50s. Google for some blogs or photos from westerners who went there, it is a totally surreal experience.

    Large empty streets, every foreigner is followed by an assigned guide. If a tourist as much as takes a digital photo of one of their leader's statues that is off center or has the head cut-off they are forced to retake the picture. There are stories of children being used to help harvest poppies for heroin production after they get off school. Everything is a show, they use all of their funds to build their military while hundreds of thousands are starving. Their leader is crazy and he has nukes. Iraq was a kindergarten compared to NK. Until the crazy dictators are ruling the country no amount of giant fluffy (and yummy) bunnies will save the people from starvation...

  3. Long term effects? by sinserve · · Score: 5, Informative

    I don't know the technical name for it, but eating the ultra lean rabbit meat is known to cause malnutrition and eventual poisoning and death. I have seen several "adventure" videos where the survival experts remind viewers not to go very long on rabbit meat alone, for its lack of fat, and augment it with other sources of fat.

  4. Re: Giant bunnies vs. Just get rid of Kim! by iSeal · · Score: 4, Informative

    North Korea spends %50 of it's expenditures on Military. It is a massive force, as all citizens are required to spend 10 years in it. A massive force which is a consumer of food, and is reputed to steal it at their behest. Kim Il-Sung is credited for pushing forth "revolutionary" agricultural techniques, that in reality were disastrous failures. North Korea's recent public escapades, among other previous activities, have jeopardized vital capital from South Korea (NK = cheap labour.) It has little credibility in the international marketplace, as the regime is notorious for failing to repay debts. At the same time, the regime doesn't want to initiate trade relations, because it goes against it's Juche philosophy. In truth, these are all acts of twisted paranoia for the sake of the regime's self-preservation. The starvation isn't a product of North Korea's poverty or lack of natural resources. It's a product of North Korea's regime.

    A regime that would rather see the misery of all it's citizens than reunifying under the leadership of the south.

  5. Re:May I be the first to say... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Informative

    You so wrong. You never live in Polska. You would not say that. You denigrate many people with your lies. In 1989 thanks to america we are free. Show respect.

  6. Re:You got it the wrong way by jonasj · · Score: 3, Informative

    Dictatorship of the proletariat simply refers to the idea that the workers, rather than the capitalists, should be in control. It is not intended to be any more of a dictatorship than current capitalist countries, nor to include any temporarily suspension civil rights.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dictatorship_of_the_p roletariat

    Do not blame an ideology for the people who believes in it.

    --
    You know, Microsoft's street address also says a lot about their mentality.
  7. Re:May I be the first to say... by budgenator · · Score: 3, Informative
    FTA
    "I'm not increasing production and I'm not taking any more orders after this. They cost a lot to feed,"

    OK if North Korea could afford to feed the rabbits, it seems likely they could afford to feed the people
    if the North Koreans find enough food to feed them properly. "I feed them everything -- grain, carrots, a lot of vegetables. At the moment they're getting kale," said Szmolinsky.

    Boy that sounds like people food to me, if I were breeding food rabbits they'd be bred for max production eating things like hay, alfalfa, clover and maybe throw in some field corn and soybeans on occassion; but that's not what's going to happen here, they are going to starve people to free up food for rabbits to feed the starving people, pathetic.
    --
    Apocalypse Cancelled, Sorry, No Ticket Refunds