Although China is infamous for its Yulin Dog and Cat Meat Festival during which 10,000 dogs are consumed, the country is now taking action to ban the sale of food products made from endangered species.
However, a new law still allows for animals to be forced into public performances, be used for captive breeding, and to be used in non-food products.
Chinese traditional medicine has touted the use of various animals, including tiger bones, in its products, despite little scientific evidence of their benefits. Rhino horn, for example, has been used as a remedy for headaches and fevers.
Lang Sheng, deputy head of the Legislative Affairs Commission of the National People’s Congress: “Buyers are a major motivator of large-scale illegal hunting.”
The law will protect 420 species, including South China tigers, Asiatic black bears, and golden monkeys. A ban on shark fin soup introduced last December is thought to have set the stage for this legislative progress.
Animal advocates and environmental activists are not fully pleased with the new law as it leaves a potentially grey area as to how the animal can be used in products. It remains to be seen if this new law will be enforced as senior government members are alleged to be the most loyal consumers with regards to the consumption of endangered species.
Source: metro.co.uk
IFL Science
Photo: Mr. Wallpaper
