Recently, experts of the China Wildlife Conservation Association
called to dispense with the bad habit of eating wild animals and
set up a healthy and civilized diet. Many experts believe that laws
should be enacted to punish wildlife gourmands as well its poachers
and traders.
Latest findings show that some wild animals carry the SARS
coronavirus. Though the source of SARS hasn't been found, more and
more people realize that it is uncivilized and unhealthy to eat
wildlife, according to Zhuo Rongsheng, director of the Department
of Wildlife Conservation under the State Forestry
Administration.
Market is the source of wildlife trade.
According to Du Yongsheng, director of Forest Security Department
under the State Forestry Administration, they have cracked down on
7,000 cases and seized 1.4 million wild animals including 56,000
under First-Grade State Protection over the past 12 months.
Due to increasingly serious wildlife poaching and smuggling, many
species have got badly damaged, Du noted. The existence of wildlife
markets with staggering profits provides a hotbed for offenders.
The lack of wildlife protection consciousness also promotes
wildlife crime activities objectively, according to him.
Guangdong and Guangxi people have earned a reputation for eating
anything that moves. Statistic shows people could eat more than one
million paddy sparrows in a year. The trade of snake reaches 10
tons every day in Guangzhou. In some illegal restaurants, the price
of pangolins is 800 yuan (US$96.65) per kilogram and that of the
Chrysolophus amherstiae is 1,200 yuan (US$144.98) per kilogram. The
reason for restaurants to provide wildlife is high profits and the
attraction of customers.
Poaching reduces the number of wildlife.
According to Chen Runsheng, secretary-general of the China Wildlife
Conservation Association, an investigation shows people in 22
cities have the habit of eating wild animals including those under
First-Grade State Protection. Now, the resources of wild birds have
been badly damaged in Guangdong Province. The number of wild
pangolins used to be 1.5 million, but now only 300,000 left. It is
very hard for the offenders to poach wildlife in China due to
decreasing numbers of wild animals, so they reach their hands out
to neighboring countries.
Gourmands are as guilty as the poachers and traders.
Now, only the poachers and wildlife traders are punished by laws,
there are no regulations or limitations for wildlife gourmands.
Experts point out that it is a misunderstanding to restrict these
gourmands only by moralities. Laws should be enacted to punish them
for they are as guilty as the wildlife poachers and traders.
Otherwise, the wild animal poaching and trading will never die out
because of the economic laws.
Zhuo Rongshen said: "In order to keep ecological balance and
people's health, we have to strengthen the education and the
enaction of laws to change people's bad habit of eating
wildlife."
Experts called on the National People's Congress (NPC) to amend and
perfect Laws on Wildlife Protection. Uniform regulations should be
enacted to restrict actions of wildlife eating. Never eating wild
animals should be written into the Party constitution as a
discipline. The government should strengthen science education to
the public by television, radio, newspapers and the Internet.
(China.org.cn by Wu Nanlan, June 16, 2003)