'Noah's Ark' of 5,000 rare animals found floating off the coast of China
May 25th 2007 | 9:32 pm
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'Noah's Ark' of 5,000 rare animals found floating off the coast of China
http://www.guardian.co.uk/china/story/0,,2088589,00.html
'Noah's Ark' of 5,000 rare animals found floating off the coast of
China
· Cargo of abandoned vessel destined for restaurants
· Illegal trade drives species closer to extinction
Jonathan Watts in Beijing
Saturday May 26, 2007
The Guardian
Endangered, hunted, smuggled and now abandoned, 5,000 of the world's
rarest animals have been found drifting in a deserted boat near the
coast of China.
The pangolins, Asian giant turtles and lizards were crushed inside
crates on a rickety wooden vessel that had lost engine power off
Qingzhou island in the southern province of Guangdong. Most were
alive, though the cargo also contained 21 bear paws wrapped in
newspaper.
According to conservation groups, the haul was discovered on one of
the world's most lucrative and destructive smuggling routes: from the
threatened jungles of south-east Asia to the restaurant tables of
southern China.
Article continues
The animals were found when local fishermen noticed a strange smell
emanating from the vessel, which did not have any registration plates,
on Tuesday, the Guangzhou Daily reported.
When coastguard officials boarded the 25-metre craft, it was
reportedly deserted and stripped of identification papers. They found
more than 200 crates full of animals, many so dehydrated in the
tropical sun that they were close to death.
The animals - which weighed 13 tonnes - were taken to port, doused
with water and sent to an animal welfare centre. "We have received
some animals," said an office worker at the Guangdong Wild Animal
Protection Centre. "We are waiting to hear from the authorities what
we should do with them."
According to the local media, the cargo included 31 pangolins, 44
leatherback turtles, 2,720 monitor lizards, 1,130 Brazilian turtles as
well as the bear paws. Photographs showed other animals, including an
Asian giant turtle.
All of these south-east Asian species are critically endangered,
banned from international trade and yet openly sold in restaurants and
markets in China's southern province of Guangdong, which is famous for
its exotic cuisine.
The accidental discovery highlights the negative impact that the
growing power of Chinese consumption is having on global conservation
efforts.
According to wildlife groups, China is the main market for illegally
traded exotic species, which are eaten or used in traditional
medicine. Pangolins are in great demand because their meat is consider
a delicacy and their scales are thought to help mothers breastfeed
their babies.
As a result of demand, the pangolin populations of China, Vietnam,
Laos and Cambodia have been wiped out. With traders moving further and
further south, the animal is declining even in its last habitats in
Java, Sumatra and the Malaysian peninsula. It is a similar story for
many species of turtle, tortoise, frog and snake.
Despite China's international commitments to get to grips with this
illicit activity, the trade is booming. Border controls are lax, and
smugglers know that fines are usually far lower than the potential
rewards. As a result, raids and seizures of banned products occur
regularly. One recent raid on a restaurant in Guanghzou turned up 118
pangolins, 60kg of snakes and 400kg of toads.
Traffic - an organisation that monitors and tries to prevent the
smuggling of endangered species - welcomed the fact that China's
authorities had reacted swiftly to rescue the animals but said much
more needs to be done to prevent similar cases.
"Unfortunately, this is all too common. This trade is a far bigger
threat to these species than habitat destruction," said Chris
Shepherd, senior program officer with Traffic Southeast Asia. "The
vigilance on the border has to be improved, cooperation with source
countries needs to be strengthened, there should be better monitoring
of dealers, and the people violating the laws must be penalised
severely."
Despite the ban on pangolins, many restaurants offer their meat. The
Chaoxing restaurant in Shenzhen said yesterday that pangolin was
available but was only suitable for large dining parties.
"The animal is very big - about 10kg," said a waitress contacted by
telephone. "We serve it in hotpot. That is the tastiest way."
According to recent reports in the Chinese media, the price of 1kg of
pangolin served in Guangdong or Yunnan is between 600 and 800 yuan per
kilogram (between £43 and £50).
A Guangdong chef interviewed last year in the Beijing Science and
Technology Daily described how to cook a pangolin.
"We keep them alive in cages until the customer makes an order. Then
we hammer them unconscious, cut their throats and drain the blood. It
is a slow death. We then boil them to remove the scales. We cut the
meat into small pieces and use it to make a number of dishes,
including braised meat and soup. Usually the customers take the blood
home with them afterwards."
'Noah's Ark' of 5,000 rare animals found floating off the coast of
China
· Cargo of abandoned vessel destined for restaurants
· Illegal trade drives species closer to extinction
Jonathan Watts in Beijing
Saturday May 26, 2007
The Guardian
Endangered, hunted, smuggled and now abandoned, 5,000 of the world's
rarest animals have been found drifting in a deserted boat near the
coast of China.
The pangolins, Asian giant turtles and lizards were crushed inside
crates on a rickety wooden vessel that had lost engine power off
Qingzhou island in the southern province of Guangdong. Most were
alive, though the cargo also contained 21 bear paws wrapped in
newspaper.
According to conservation groups, the haul was discovered on one of
the world's most lucrative and destructive smuggling routes: from the
threatened jungles of south-east Asia to the restaurant tables of
southern China.
Article continues
The animals were found when local fishermen noticed a strange smell
emanating from the vessel, which did not have any registration plates,
on Tuesday, the Guangzhou Daily reported.
When coastguard officials boarded the 25-metre craft, it was
reportedly deserted and stripped of identification papers. They found
more than 200 crates full of animals, many so dehydrated in the
tropical sun that they were close to death.
The animals - which weighed 13 tonnes - were taken to port, doused
with water and sent to an animal welfare centre. "We have received
some animals," said an office worker at the Guangdong Wild Animal
Protection Centre. "We are waiting to hear from the authorities what
we should do with them."
According to the local media, the cargo included 31 pangolins, 44
leatherback turtles, 2,720 monitor lizards, 1,130 Brazilian turtles as
well as the bear paws. Photographs showed other animals, including an
Asian giant turtle.
All of these south-east Asian species are critically endangered,
banned from international trade and yet openly sold in restaurants and
markets in China's southern province of Guangdong, which is famous for
its exotic cuisine.
The accidental discovery highlights the negative impact that the
growing power of Chinese consumption is having on global conservation
efforts.
According to wildlife groups, China is the main market for illegally
traded exotic species, which are eaten or used in traditional
medicine. Pangolins are in great demand because their meat is consider
a delicacy and their scales are thought to help mothers breastfeed
their babies.
As a result of demand, the pangolin populations of China, Vietnam,
Laos and Cambodia have been wiped out. With traders moving further and
further south, the animal is declining even in its last habitats in
Java, Sumatra and the Malaysian peninsula. It is a similar story for
many species of turtle, tortoise, frog and snake.
Despite China's international commitments to get to grips with this
illicit activity, the trade is booming. Border controls are lax, and
smugglers know that fines are usually far lower than the potential
rewards. As a result, raids and seizures of banned products occur
regularly. One recent raid on a restaurant in Guanghzou turned up 118
pangolins, 60kg of snakes and 400kg of toads.
Traffic - an organisation that monitors and tries to prevent the
smuggling of endangered species - welcomed the fact that China's
authorities had reacted swiftly to rescue the animals but said much
more needs to be done to prevent similar cases.
"Unfortunately, this is all too common. This trade is a far bigger
threat to these species than habitat destruction," said Chris
Shepherd, senior program officer with Traffic Southeast Asia. "The
vigilance on the border has to be improved, cooperation with source
countries needs to be strengthened, there should be better monitoring
of dealers, and the people violating the laws must be penalised
severely."
Despite the ban on pangolins, many restaurants offer their meat. The
Chaoxing restaurant in Shenzhen said yesterday that pangolin was
available but was only suitable for large dining parties.
"The animal is very big - about 10kg," said a waitress contacted by
telephone. "We serve it in hotpot. That is the tastiest way."
According to recent reports in the Chinese media, the price of 1kg of
pangolin served in Guangdong or Yunnan is between 600 and 800 yuan per
kilogram (between £43 and £50).
A Guangdong chef interviewed last year in the Beijing Science and
Technology Daily described how to cook a pangolin.
"We keep them alive in cages until the customer makes an order. Then
we hammer them unconscious, cut their throats and drain the blood. It
is a slow death. We then boil them to remove the scales. We cut the
meat into small pieces and use it to make a number of dishes,
including braised meat and soup. Usually the customers take the blood
home with them afterwards."
