China Animal Activists See SARS Silver Lining

BEIJING -- Endangered sea turtles, the Chinese alligator, the Asiatic black bear and a host of other wild animals may be unexpected beneficiaries of the deadly outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome.

Preliminary evidence that the SARS virus may have jumped from animals to humans has focused a harsh spotlight on China’s role as one of the world’s biggest consumers of wild and endangered animals for food and medicinal uses. The first known case of the highly infectious disease surfaced in November in the southern province of Guangdong, where snakes, cats and more exotic animals are part of the traditional cuisine. Since then, SARS has infected at least 8,439 people and killed more than 800.

Faced with a potential public safety issue and a threat to its global image, China has begun cracking down on the worst wildlife abuses. The government recently banned the sale and trade of endangered aquatic species such as the Chinese sturgeon, giant salamander and sea turtles. It also said it would consider amending a 1988 wildlife conservation law criticized as toothless. While the measure bans the sale and trade of wild animals, it does not cover consumption. Moreover, the penalties are weak.

The National People’s Congress, the country’s top legislative body, is sending lawmakers to Beijing, Guangdong province and the Guangxi autonomous region this month to investigate the poaching and illegal sale of wild animals. Officials in Guangdong have already banned the sale and consumption of wild animals and are imposing a fine of $1,205 on anyone who knowingly eats a protected animal.

Raids on markets and restaurants in southern China in April netted thousands of animals, many of which were protected by Chinese law, according to the official government press.

“Chinese people have a very bad reputation in the world for eating everything with four legs or two legs except planes in the sky, boats in the sea or chairs in the office,” said Chen Runsheng, who heads the China Wildlife Conservation Assn., China’s leading government-sanctioned wildlife protection group.

Although China is a signatory to an international treaty protecting endangered species, critics say the government has largely ignored poaching and other illegal activities. They fear that the wild animal trade has simply gone underground and will resurface once SARS recedes.

But Chen and other activists hope SARS-related fears will boost their cause. During the recent outbreak, the local media reported on the dangers of eating wild animals, showing graphic photos of animals infested with worms and other parasites.

Activists in Hong Kong have banded together to call on the Chinese government to ban the sale and consumption of all wild and endangered species, along with that of cats and dogs. China is home to dozens of endangered species, as well as mammals, fish and birds whose populations are threatened.

Conservation groups are also working with the Chinese medical community to develop herbal alternatives to animal-based remedies.

Because of China’s sheer size, the nation’s culinary habits could tip the balance between survival and extinction for a number of species, according to activists. Wealthy Chinese, particularly businesspeople from Hong Kong who travel, are the top customers for exotic animals consumed in other parts of the world, and China is a large importer of smuggled animals and animal parts.

“Because of the growing economic power in China, it has been importing wild animals from other countries,” said David Chu Yu-lin, a legislative councilor in Hong Kong. “China is unknowingly affecting the ecobalance of other countries.”

Numbers are not easy to come by, but according to the China Wildlife Conservation Assn., Chinese consume 10,000 tons of snakes a year. Last winter, a provincial newspaper, the Yangcheng Evening News, reported that an estimated 10,000 cats a day were eaten during the season in Guangdong.

Ending deeply ingrained culinary habits and medicinal traditions won’t be easy. Chu said China’s tradition of eating nearly every type of animal began as a means of survival among impoverished peasants. Traditional Chinese medicine relies heavily on animal parts, which have driven species such as tigers and leopards almost to extinction. Tiger and leopard bones are believed to soothe arthritis pain.

As prices for the animals have risen, their consumption has become a prestige sport, with the wealthy vying to eat the most exotic species.

“As people get more wealthy, they show their respect by inviting wealthy people to eat wild animals,” said Chu, whose pets include dogs, cats and a pig.

Vigorous debate remains in China over where to draw the line between wild and domesticated animals. Many of the exotic animals consumed in China are now raised on farms, including the civet cat, a mongoose-like animal identified as a possible source of SARS.

And though dogs and cats are gaining popularity as pets, they are still regarded as a culinary treat by many who believe the meat increases virility and boosts the immune system.

However, even before the outbreak of SARS, animal activists had scored small victories. In 2000, the Chinese government agreed to close the worst of the nation’s bear farms, where Asiatic black bears are kept in cages and milked for their bile.

Jill Robinson, founder of the Animals Asia Foundation, a leading critic of the farms, is hopeful the SARS outbreak will encourage the government to do more to protect animals. Last week, she traveled to Vietnam, where she hoped to persuade officials to follow China’s lead. “I think China has an enormous impact on its Asian counterparts,” she said.

Still, Cao Shaotian isn’t convinced that his favorite wild animal dishes are going to kill him. Quite the contrary. He believes eating snake wards off the cold.

“I don’t agree that we get SARS from eating animals,” said the general manager of a popular Beijing restaurant, which includes spicy snake and wild turtle on its menu. “China has a 5,000-year history. Why should SARS break out at this time?”

Cao knows that consuming wild animals is no longer politically correct. He insists that his restaurant does not sell wild or endangered species, even though the glass tanks contain wild sea turtles and several xun long yu, a protected member of the sturgeon family.

“I myself don’t eat wild animal,” he said. “But I don’t care if other people do.”

In April, when the SARS panic was in full bloom, Cao’s monthly receipts dropped from $730,000 to $120,000. But business has recovered in recent weeks, he said, and he is confident his customers will come back for their favorite foods, exotic or otherwise.

“I like eating snakes,” he said. “People who like eating it, they will not be scared.”