Icelandic Whalers Kill Blue Whale, Activists Say, First in 40 Years

(CNN)An Icelandic commercial whaling company has reportedly killed a blue whale, an endangered species and the largest animal known in existence, prompting outrage from conservationists.

The Hvalur hf company killed and butchered a blue whale last Saturday at their whaling station in Hvalfjordur, Iceland, according to Sea Shepherd, an anti-whaling organization. The last recorded deliberate capture was in 1978, 40 years ago, according to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.Photos show orange-clad crews hosing off the massive whale and examining its carcass. CNN has reached out to Hvalur hf for confirmation of the kill but is yet to receive a response.