Giant Rabbits To Feed North Korea

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.)

Comments

Efficiency?

[UOZaphod]

I'm not a vegetarian myself, but even this raises questions regarding the efficiency of such an operation.

Is it more efficient to feed these rabbits vegetable matter to be converted to protein (which, according to the article, is what the diet of many N. Koreans is deficient in), or would it be better instead to grow protein-rich plants that can be consumed directly by the people?

If the rabbits can consume grasses and other things that humans are unable to digest efficiently, and convert that into protein, then I suppose it would make sense.

Re:Efficiency?

[shmurfect]

In terms of efficiency, it would be most efficient environmentally to have N. Koreans consume protein-rich vegetables directly, as each step through the food chain is about 10% efficient. This is why, if you look down the food chain, the biomass of plants and vegetables is exponentially greater than herbivores, as herbivores are exponentially greater than carnivores. At each step down the line, there is a tremendous waste of energy.

May I be the first to say...

[PapayaSF]

In Soviet North Korea, rabbits eat you!

Seriously though, how absurd is it that anyone thinks this is going to make any difference: it's a Communist dictatorship. The government runs food production and distribution, so of course they don't have enough food. All the rabbits in the world won't change that. It's sad and absurd that the average North Korean is still paying the price for a government that ignores that basic fact, proven so thoroughly and with so many graves in the 20th century.

Re:May I be the first to say...

[deevnil]

Such comments are really nothing but an insult to people who actually did live in ...

Whenever anybody compares the decline of civil liberty and freedom release patches there's always a whiner saying that comparing Bush to Hitler, or the PATRIOT Act to a country that has patriot act mentality and abuses it( or "losing freedom is like losing a leg" and someone with two legs always says, "that's an insult to people who have lost a leg." )...insults somebody.

So what would you have people do, wait until it's too late. Wait until they really are being dragged out of their houses, do you honor oppression by waiting until the last minute when it is more appropriate to propose an analogy? I think they would want that.

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Re:Correction...

[MrNaz]

Only on /. can uninformed political bickering be considered more interesting that GIANT FUCKING RABBITS! For God's sake people are you all insane? There's 23 pound rabbits on the loose and you're arguing over whether refugee would prefer to go to Europe or America? I want to hear about the rabbits and all I get in the comments are references to communism, a lecture on the life and times of Marx, nookular missiles and such trivial things. Seriously guys think of the rabbits!