Sorry Fountainhall but you're wrong about fewer Chinses eating endangered species. In fact as more people can afford them the problem is becoming cliff edge critical. I just googled "Chinese consumption of endangered species" and read two of the first four links. You're totally wrong about this. Read it.
A link would have been useful. When I entered those precise words on google, the first entry was an April 2014 article from The Guardian which all but negates your comment! It agrees that whilst some of the richer and older Chinese seek out obscure animal parts, this is becoming increasingly difficult.
https://www.theguardian.com/environm...jail-sentencesChinese diners who enjoy bear bile, tiger bones and pangolin meat now have a new reason to lay down their chopsticks.
China's top legislative body passed a new "interpretation" of the country's criminal law on Thursday that will allow authorities to jail people who knowingly eat products made from rare wild animals. Prison sentences for the offence range from under three years to more than a decade, the state newswire Xinhua reported.
Beijing classifies 420 species as rare or endangered, including giant pandas, golden monkeys, Asian black bears and pangolins – scaly, slow-moving anteaters which curl into balls to avoid their predators. While China already promises harsh fines and jail sentences for people who catch, kill, traffic, buy and sell the animals, it has until now remained unclear on the potential consequences for eating them.
"This is very, very encouraging," said Grace Gabriel, Asia regional director for the International Fund for Animal Welfare, a US-based animal rights organisation. "Including wildlife consumption in the criminal law can play a very important part in curtailing, and also stigmatising, wildlife consumption."
The numbers who have the cash and knowledge of where such items can be eaten are certainly small. I absolutely don't condone it in any way and hope that it is eventually stamped out. But issues which are deeply ingrained in the cultural consciousness are not so easily changed - anywhere in the world.
Fountainhall:
From Wikipedia.
"Pangolins are hunted and eaten in many parts of Africa and are one of the more popular types of bush meat, while local healers use the pangolin as a source of traditional medicine.[17] They are also in great demand in Southern China and Vietnam because their meat is considered a delicacy and some believe that pangolin scales have medicinal qualities.[18][19][20][21] Over the past decade, it is believed that over one million pangolins have been illegally trafficked, making it the most trafficked animal in the world.[22] This, coupled with deforestation, has led to a large decrease in the numbers of pangolins. Some species, such as Manis pentadactyla have become commercially extinct in certain ranges as a result of over hunting.[23] In November 2010, pangolins were added to the Zoological Society of London's list of genetically distinct and endangered mammals.[24] All eight species of pangolin are classified by the IUCN as threatened to extinction, while two are classified as critically endangered.[19][25]
Though pangolins are protected by an international ban on their trade, populations have suffered from illegal trafficking due to unfounded beliefs in East Asia that their ground-up scales can stimulate lactation or cure cancer or asthma.[26] In the past decade there have been numerous seizures of illegally trafficked pangolin and pangolin meat in Asia.[27][28][29][30] In one such incident in April 2013, 10,000 kilograms (11 short tons) of pangolin meat was seized from a Chinese vessel that ran aground in the Philippines.[31][32] In another case in August 2016, an Indonesian man was arrested after police raided his home and found over 650 pangolins in freezers on his property.[33]"
It's just one I know of. How many do you want. I'm actually surprised by the line you're taking over this. I'll find a few more. As many as you want until you accept facts against what you wish was true. Oh and the links are often blocked in China. Mm, I wonder why?
Fountainhall:
https://www.newsecuritybeat.org/2016...e-trafficking/
OK.
You'll lose credibility with your view on this. It's like it's the World disagreeing with China..and you.
You're funny arsenal! I had no intention of pursuing this because I frankly don't know enough about the subject. Clearly it is of deep concern for you, and I agree. But sometimes you argue against yourself. Did you read that last link you posted from the International Fund for Animal Welfare? It's all about the success of the IFAW in curtailing the consumption of endangered species! My only points are that the percentage of Chinese eating such animals is small if only because they have become so expensive. Secondly, as earlier stated, it's a cultural thing that many in the younger generation totally disagree with which bodes well for the future. And if you point the finger at China, then you also have to look at places like Thailand and certain African countries which actively trade in endangered species to China. It's not just a China issue.
This is from that IFAW link -
Working with the Chinese government and private businesses, IFAW promotes enhanced wildlife policies and regulations to make the illicit trade of wildlife parts and products more difficult.At IFAW’s urging, Chinese language search engine Baidu shut down 13 forums engaging in the illegal trade of ivory, tiger bone, rhino horn, sea tortoises shell and other derivatives and in live animals.
Baidu deleted more than 34,000 postings of animal products and provided IFAW with new technologies to educate consumers.
Working with the Chinese government, IFAW successfully persuaded many other Internet trading sites in China to adopt wildlife trade bans in their policies.
Led by Taobao.com, which banned the trade of tiger bone, ivory, rhino horn, bear bile, turtle shell, pangolin scale and shark fin as early as 2008, many other specialty websites are following suit, effectively making online policies stronger than China’s Wildlife Protection Law.
Fountainhall wrote:
"My only points are that the percentage of Chinese eating such animals is small if only because they have become so expensive."
Yes. They've become so expensive because they've mostly been eaten and supplies are running out.
And.
"Secondly, as earlier stated, it's a cultural thing that many in the younger generation totally disagree with."
I agree with you on both of those points. The younger generation don't agree with it but as you say, it's a cultural thing and that is harder to prevent.
And
"And if you point the finger at China, then you also have to look at places like Thailand and certain African countries which actively trade in endangered species to China. It's not just a China issue."
I agree with that as well but it's the market that drives the trade and the biggest market by far is China. As long as a man can stand on a street corner 100 meters from the police station with a live, endangered and huge snapping turtle snapping dangling from a pole for sale then the problem is still rife. A common site in one of the former Presidents home town. Got very angry when I tried to photograph him though.
But you are free to believe whatever you choose to.
The question that clearly has to be asked is: how do you then tackle the problem - from the supply or demand side? I don't know what the answer is, but if you cut off supply, then those on the demand side simply cannot indulge because price will rise to the point where most have to give up. On the other hand, one worry in those articles is that special breeding centres are being set up specifically to satisfy demand. We must hope that government and social media pressures will increasingly help in tracking down and prosecuting those suppliers. I perhaps have more faith than you that social media can play a major role in shaping overall public opinion. I'm sure you disagree and perfectly understand that!Originally Posted by arsenal
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