Food Vlogger Sparks Concern by Eating Giant Clams: DENR Urged to Take Action
A food vlogger goes viral and elicits various reactions from the online community for indulging in mukbang of giant clams.
In a recent online incident, a Twitter user with the account @mangingisdasays caught the attention of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) on November 8, 2023. @mangingisdasays reported a content creator who posted a video eating giant clams, sharing a screenshot of the video.
The complainant captioned it with: “A content creator posted this video eating giant clams. This is illegal. Please take action. The video was already deleted, but it was still up this morning, three days after it was posted.”
The latter explained that giant clams were nearly driven to extinction in the Philippines in the 1980s. Various organizations, including the government, academic institutions, and private entities, are working together to conserve these endangered species due to their important role in the ecosystem.
Giant clam poaching is strictly illegal in the country.
Based on the video’s screenshot, the content creator operates a YouTube channel called “Raw & Cook Food Asmr” and shared the controversial video on November 4, 2023, around five in the afternoon.
The video featured two individuals wearing red T-shirts, looking at giant clams before them, accompanied by a caption that translates to, “Let’s eat grilled clams.”
The Internet users criticized the content creator for their actions, with some expressing disappointment that individuals can still get away with capturing endangered and protected species in the Philippines.
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While some defended the vlogger, claiming they might be unaware of the regulations, @mangingisdasays emphasized that ignorance is not an excuse, especially for someone with access to information.
Addressing those who argued that the vlogger might have consumed smaller clams and not giants, @mangingisdasays urged people to use Google and clarified that the scientific community officially refers to them as giant clams.
DENR has yet to release a statement regarding the matter.
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