Scientists Found Endangered Species DNA In Pet Food
Using DNA testing, two scientists conducting the study in Singapore found the DNA of endangered species in various pet food products and brands that they tested.
Finding the right food for your beloved pet can be a difficult task. There are all kinds of natural dog foods, different formulas for different sizes, grain-free options, and plenty of information and misinformation to sift through. One thing that all pet owners can probably agree on is that they wouldn’t want to have endangered species meat in their dog’s food. But apparently, that’s exactly what’s happening. A study published by Frontiers in Marine Science revealed that shark meat can be found in certain dog and cat foods.
Using DNA testing, two scientists conducting the study in Singapore found shark DNA in various pet food products and brands that they tested. The ingredient list would usually mark the shark meat as “white fish” or “ocean fish” according to the research. This makes pet owners unwilling participants in the continuous global decline of shark populations and sharks on the endangered species list. The researchers also attribute the decline to a huge increase in fishing. Overfishing has always been a problem, but now the effects are seeping into the pet food industry as well.
In the study, the scientists also revealed that 75% of shark species are at risk for extinction, and many of these endangered species can be found in the pet food they tested. The species that they found included whitetip reef shark, silky shark, blue shark, Caribbean sharpnose shark, sicklefin weasel shark, and sand tiger sharks. For pet owners, this is likely very unsettling news. Sharks are also low in nutritional value, so the problem is doubly harmful. The shark populations are affected and the pets aren’t even getting healthy food from the overfishing.
Regulation and research for pet food are scarce, but people want to know what they’re giving to their beloved pets. It’s good that some scientists are making an effort to make this kind of information public, so we are more aware of the effects of consumer goods on endangered species and how lack of regulation on these products can cause issues for both the world’s animal populations and the nutrition for pets.
Sharks have been here much, much longer than us. They’re a species that even predates the existence of trees on Earth. It would certainly be a shame if their population was eliminated for reasons that could easily be avoided. No one wants their pets to eat endangered species, and no one wants to see sharks, who hold a very important role in ocean ecosystems, be erased from existence. Hopefully, more studies can be done and this issue can be addressed sooner than later. Unfortunately, overfishing is a problem that doesn’t seem to be going away anytime soon.
If you’re looking to avoid having endangered species meat in your pet food, you’ll likely just need to be extra careful when looking at the ingredients. As the study revealed, if you’re seeing ingredients like “ocean fish” and “white fish” you may want to do further research to find out more about the brand and the ingredients they use.
