Disney Takes A Small Step In the Right Direction On The Shark-fin Soup controversy....

Disney has taken a lot of bad press over the their decision to serve shark-fin soup at wedding banquets in their hotels in the new Hong Kong park. Their decision to hand-out leaflets is good in two ways.

1. It starts address the problem by educating consumers on the environmental dangers of consuming the dish.
2. It does not end the controversy and therefore it will be an issue that continues to get press. This is good since it is important that the main consumers of shark-fin, the Hong Kong people, get to read further on this matter.

The Disney spokesperson weighs in...

"If customers insist on shark's fin soup we will agree to serve it to them but with a leaflet carrying information on how shark fins are harvested," Disney spokeswoman Irene Chan told AFP.

"It will be written in a suitable manner for a wedding, but it will explain the environmental impact of shark fin fishing," Chan said

And a local environmental group has apparently been asked to design the leaflet.

"It will explain the importance of sharks to marine ecology and explain how they are cruelly killed," Cheng told AFP. "It will detail the environmental and health impacts of eating it."

I have a few suggestions for Disney if green groups deem that a just handing out a leaflet that may go unnoticed is not enough.

The cheaper banquet should offer one of those walking character dolls, you know like the ubiquitous Mickey, Minnie and Pluto characters that you can have your picture taken with , of a shark. Banquet participants can even have smiling pictures taken with the shark during the meal. And then when the shark-fin soup is served, the shark starts screaming and writhing on the floor in a dramatic but Disneyesque play acting so that everyone can have a wonderful time.

The more expensive meal could offer a live finning of a shark.

Update: The AFP story linked above does not mention butThe Standard points out that actually Disney is removing shark-fin soup from the banquet menu and will only serve it upon request. In which case, the leaflets will be handed out. I still like my two ideas mentioned above.