Word: exoticisms
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Part of the answer can be found in the Herbal Encyclopedia, a dictionary of traditional Chinese medicine compiled some four centuries ago that lists 461 animals with organs that purportedly have curative powers. They include the rapidly vanishing tiger and the unfortunate pangolin. According to the dictionary, pangolin scales can...
Pangolin are not the only species being driven toward extinction across Asia by China's demand for exotic, edible wildlife. "As purchasing power in China grows, demand has just exploded," says James Compton, who runs the Southeast Asia office of TRAFFIC, the most prominent group fighting the illegal wildlife trade...
China is not the only culprit, of course. Nations such as Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam all have thriving underground markets in wildlife products. And dealers from America and Europe travel the region to stock up on snakes, geckos, flying lizards and other exotic pets. But the sheer scale of demand...
But eating exotic animals and using them for ancient medicines are practices deeply rooted in Chinese culture. There have been fleeting signs of change. In June, the soon-to-open Hong Kong Disneyland took shark's fin soup off the menu following public protests over the damage that widespread consumption...
In a twisted way, the animals may yet get their revenge. AIDS is now believed to have passed from apes to humans through the consumption of chimpanzee meat. SARS killed 774 people in late 2002 and 2003. A recent report by the New York-based Wildlife Conservation Society warns that...