Meat from endangered whales used for dog treats in Japan Whalers cut open a 35-tonne Fin whale caught off the coast of Hvalfjsrour, north of Reykjavik, on the western coast of Iceland in 2009. MEAT from endangered whales caught by Icelandic hunters is being sold in Japan as luxury dog treats, environmental campaigners say. Michinoku's website, which also sells pet goodies it says are made from Mongolian horses and from kangaroos, has three different sized packets of whale chews, with a 60 gram bag selling for 609 yen ($6.25) and a 500 gram bag for 3780 yen. The president of Michinoku Farm, Takuma Konno, said the company was selling produce that was legal in Japan. Dogs are like family members for many people in Japan. We just wanted to sell a wide variety of food for dogs," he said. " (Campaigners) look at whales as important animals, but we consider dogs to be just as important," he said. But he said the company will be withdrawing the jerky from sale. "Maybe I was ignorant of the debate (about whaling), but it's not worth selling the product if it risks disturbing some people," he said. Japan hunts whales under a loophole in an international moratorium, insisting it is carrying out research. Australia and New Zealand in particular have voiced outrage over Japan's whale hunting, and Canberra has taken Tokyo to court to challenge the legal basis of the "research." A ruling by the International Court of Justice is expected by the end of the year. Australia's representative to the International Whaling Commission Donna Petrochenko said she was aware of the allegations and Canberra was in "very active" talks with global partners on an appropriate response. "We're in discussions with other like-minded countries about the best approach to take," Ms Petrochenko told Parliament.