Public knows little about wildlife ( 2003-11-23 10:46) (Xinhua)
Are sparrows, frogs, tortoises and snakes wild
animals that should be spared from your dinner table? Only 57.5 percent of
Shanghainese said "Yes", and 83 percent admitted having eaten them.
A recent survey in the eastern commercial hub showed its citizens knew little
about wildlife and its protection, and nearly a half of teenagers had never even
heard of the country's 15-year-old law on the protection of wild animals.
The survey was carried out by the Public Health Institute of the Shanghai No.
2 Medical Sciences University, following health experts' assumption that severe
acute respiratory syndrome (SARS),which broke out in China in the spring, could
have originated in wildlife.
Of the 400 Shanghainese surveyed, 60 percent said they would never eat a wild
animal, while 22.5 percent said they would remainavid epicureans and 17.5
percent were uncertain.
Only 1.9 percent of the 240 respondents who swore to stay away from wildlife
dishes admitted that it was because "animals are friends to human beings and
should be well protected", while the absolute majority were putting down their
chopsticks for fear of catching diseases or breaking the law.
Of the 22.5 percent of affirmed wildlife eaters, 30.2 percent said wild
animals were "nutritious and delicious", 60.4 percent were eager to try new
tastes and 9.4 percent were just following others.
High earners were eating more wild animals, as the survey foundnearly 100
percent of those with a monthly income of over 5,000 yuan (600 US dollars)
admitted having eaten wild animals, as against the 77.63 percent of those
earning less than 1,000 yuan (120 US dollars).
Although there was no direct evidence that the SARS virus came from wild
animals, the genetic identities of the coronavirus detected in the wild were
very similar to what had been found to trigger SARS.
On April 29, the Chinese State Forestry Administration and the State
Administration for Industry and Commerce announced jointly a ban on the hunting
and sale of wildlife and called for all-round monitoring and control of wildlife
breeding and training centers.
The China Wildlife Conservation Association also wrote a letterappealing to
the public to stop eating wild animals.
