IN THE STREETS & ON THE WEB

Graphic Video: Chinese Men Butcher A Whale Shark

Chinese officials are investigating the horrifying hacking death of a protected whale shark after gruesome video surfaced showing two men slowly slice the still-alive, struggling creature.

The graphic video, purportedly shot on a wharf in Yangjiang, Guangdong Province, shows the men working from the shark’s tail end to its face, saw its body into large slices with a long blade.

Fluid and blood gush out of the sea creature as it squirms between cuts. Onlookers gathered to watch in fascination and horror, the video showed.

The whale shark is protected under Chinese law. The providence’s local fisheries department is investigating the video, local media reported.

“The whale shark is a second-grade protected animal in China,” CCTV reported, according to a translation by the New York Times. “Killing protected animals in China is a crime.”

It's not clear if the men in the video will face charges.

The creature is also protected internationally by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna. The World Wide Fund For Nature considers it a vulnerable species, meaning it faces a high risk of extinction in the wild.

Still, the fish is a coveted prize for fishermen. A single whale shark can sell for $30,000. Its meat is often used for soup.

The shark, which can grow to up to 40 feet long, is the world’s biggest fish. It’s considered a gentle creature that does not pose a threat to humans.

The slicing footage repulsed viewers after it circulated on Chinese social media sites.

“Imagine, after it was caught they didn’t knock it out, but cut up, bit by bit they cut it up — that’s so cruel,” a commenter posted on Hainan.net.