People’s
Daily (Beijing, China) People’s Daily 10/30/12
With
the Year of the Snake just over three months away, local authorities in
Shanghai are trying to head off an expected rise in demand for snake dishes by
warning residents that eating or trading endangered wild animal, is against the
law.
Restaurants
in the city have started receiving special orders for snake from customers
making reservations for their Chinese New Year Eve's banquet on February, reported
the Shanghai-based Youth Daily.
"Though
the sale of snakes has not seen a sudden rise recently, many people eat snake
in the fall as a tonic before winter," said the owner of a snake-raising
farm in the city's Qingpu district, surnamed Gu.
Gu
told the Global Times he supplies King Cobra and Agkistrodon, a venomous pit
viper, to restaurants. "He also supplies crocodile."
"Crocodiles
and snakes are not considered wild animals if they are raised on farms,"
said Gu.
Yan
Jingjing, director of the Shanghai Wildlife Conservation Management Station
under the municipal forestry and environmental administration, told the Global
Times that trading snakes and other endangered animals without a license is
strictly banned.
Yan
added that some species of Agkistrodon are categorized as protected wild
animals. "Eating and trading them is against the Wild Animal Protection
Law and violators will face criminal charges."
Yan
said the city carries out regular crackdowns on illegal sales of wild
animals.
"Apart
from the destruction of the natural ecology, the animals carry many parasites,
which are a potential health hazard," Yan added.
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