CHINESE MENU GIVES WILD ANIMALS A RESPITE

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*Wild animals off the menu for Chinese*

 

 

 

 

April 19 2006 at 09:53AM

 

 

 

 

 

By Alexa Olesun

 

Beijing - Normally adventurous Chinese diners are eating fewer owls, civets

and other wildlife due to fears of SARS and bird flu, according to a survey

released on Tuesday by United States and Chinese conservation groups.

 

The survey of 24 000 people in 16 cities found that nearly 72 percent had

not eaten wild animals in the past year, up from 51 percent in a similar

1999 survey, said San Francisco-based WildAid and the official China

Wildlife Conservation Association.

 

" Although not everybody believed that civets were to blame for SARS, the

market still has been shrinking. Fewer and fewer people consume civets, " Yin

Feng, a researcher for the Chinese group, said at a news conference.

 

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*'The level at which we are consuming wildlife species is not sustainable'

*

 

Wild animals have long been delicacies in China, where they are served at

banquets to show off the host's wealth. Rare species also are used in

traditional medicine, which prescribes deer horn, snake blood and other

products for a wide range of ailments.

 

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, which first emerged in China's south in

late 2002, was believed to have jumped to humans from civets, an animal

sometimes served in restaurants.

 

China also has suffered dozens of outbreaks of bird flu, which experts say

might originate in migrating ducks and other wild birds.

 

Some 81,9 percent of people surveyed said they knew that SARS came from wild

animals, according to WildAid and the China Wildlife Conservation

Association.

 

Of those, 50,4 percent stopped eating wild animals because of the link and

37,2 percent had decided to eat less.

 

The groups said their survey was conducted in random face-to-face interviews

and inspections of restaurants, stores and markets in December and January.

 

In addition, fewer restaurants are serving wild animals, the groups said. Of

472 restaurants surveyed, 43,2 percent served wild animals, 6,6 percent less

than in 1999.

 

But despite the attitude shift, the survey found that 22,8 percent more

grocery stores and 17,7 percent more wholesale markets were selling wild

animal products than in 1999.

 

Zhao Shengli, deputy secretary-general of the Chinese wildlife group, said

the increase was due to a large and stable supply of legally farmed wild

animals. Zhao said his group welcomed the increase in captive breeding

because it would reduce poaching.

 

Some of the 80 species of wild animals were found in Chinese markets during

the survey, the groups said.

 

They included pangolin, ostrich, cape barn owl, sika deer, Asian giant soft

shell turtle, elongated tortoise, Siamese crocodile, king cobra and the

Chinese giant salamander - but no civets.

 

About 32 percent of those surveyed said they chose to eat wild animals for

health and nutrition, while 31 percent cited curiosity and 27 percent said

it was for the taste. About nine percent said they did it because it

enhanced their social status.

 

The groups called on the Chinese government to strengthen enforcement of

bans on hunting and sale of wildlife.

 

" The level at which we are consuming wildlife species is not sustainable and

unless we can tame and limit our consumption, much greater damage will be

done, " said WildAid president Steve Trent. - Sapa-AP