Authorities in North Korea ordered the country’s schools to raise more rabbits to provide and feed its army or face Radio Free Radio sources.
Before the 93rd birthday founding of the North Korea Armed Forces on Friday, the authorities launched inspections of rabbit reproduction farms in schools in the communist country, demanding that they increase the cattle supplied to the local army units.
Under persistent food shortages since the mid-1990s, the North Korean diet has actively favored livestock farming “nourished with grass” like rabbits and goats as sources of meat.
In particular, he underlined the reproduction of rabbits, because they provide both high quality meat and fur, the authorities establishing associations of reproduction of rabbits and farms in the cities and the counties of the country and by making a key state initiative.
Inspections of rabbit pens at school – which started last week for the first time in schools – are carried out by the leaders of the provincial level of youth league under the orders of the provincial party, said a source based in the southern province of Pyongan.
In North Korea, the children’s union, which students aged 9 to 13 are required to join, and the young League, which includes those of the age group from 14 to 18, are mass political organizations that educate young people in socialist ideology and loyalty.
The instructors in charge of the young school league are responsible for achieving the breeding goals.
“Although it is common that the authorities emphasize the widening of rabbits farms each year to provide more meat and leather to the military, it is the first time that they really inspect schools,” said the source at Radio Free Asia. He asked for anonymity for security reasons.
These inspections focus on the farm scale and the number of rabbits-both reproductive rabbits and their young offspring, he said.
The instructors of the young people in schools that do not reach the objective of at least 1,000 rabbits are warned or subject to sanctions, including the expulsion of the committee or the dismissal of their posts, he said.
“The responsibility is responsible for the instructors of the young League because the management and food activities of the Rabbid farm are carried out through organized teams made up of members of the union and the young children’s league,” he said.
“Reproductive rabbits were counted during inspections – excluding the stock of seeds – must be sent to local military units as support supplies before April 25,” he added.
Despite the challenges of managing these farms, the authorities have ordered all the schools of Gowon to provide 300 reproductive rabbits each to the military by April 25, said a source based in the southern province of Hamgyong, in northeast North Korea.
“To mark the birthday (founder of the army), the inspections of the farms of school rabbits began in the county of Gowon alongside the efforts of support for the army,” he said.
“Some teachers express frustration,” noted the source. “They say that schools are supposed to be places for students to learn – not military supply bases.”
To nourish rabbits in reproductive farms in schools, adolescent students are forced to walk in the fields to get aspired because they are not allowed to collect the clover in the mountains due to forest protection rules, he said.
Since the 1970s, North Korea has forced college and high school students to raise rabbits and offer them to the State, while farmers must fulfill the country’s annual purchase quotas.
Many will never taste the meat they will produce, because most are subject to the authorities, the rest consumed or sold by corrupt officials, according to previous reports.
In 2010, several international charitable organizations collected funds to send giant rabbits to North Korea to reproduce as cheap protein source, but animals disappeared in the middle of speculation that they had been quickly seized and eaten by officials.
Translated by Jaewoo Park. Published by Tenzin Pema and Mat Pennington