[Buddha-l] China, Buddhism (?) and animals

[jkirk]

China may be a country of a billion Buddhists of one sort or another,
including other practices like Taoism etc., but one thing that never seems
to make it into their practices is compassion for animals.
Their consumeristic greed for eating exotic animals apparently knows no
bounds and has been threatening many species of animals for decades. This is
the latest evidence of this atrocious trade, which has wiped out many
species already on the SE Asian mainland. Now the smugglers are moving on to
varoius islands to grab their prey.
Posted by Joanna Kirkpatrick
=======================
 
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.

........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.
.......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.
.....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.
........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."
 

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