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China markets a viral 'time bomb'
From CNN's Tom Mintier
HONG KONG, China (CNN) -- While snakes, barking deer and owls are more likely to appear in a zoo than on a menu in the West, in China locals seemingly cannot get enough. Their desire for eating wild and exotic animals has triggered markets like one in Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong province, where traders hawk all sorts of animal species. Many of the animals that appear on China's list of the endangered species -- like the barking deer or a leopard cat -- also feature on another list, the dinner menu. "You see these animals being caged on site and being kept in close confinement for days at a time where they are spreading infection to each other," says Jill Robinson, the founder of Animals Asia Foundation. "You see them slaughtered on site with the blood and the guts and intestines just falling into the drains. It's just a time bomb of disease." Many of these animals wind up on plates in restaurants where Chinese have more exotic taste. Experts suspect the deadly flu-like virus, SARS, originated in the southern province of Guangdong. Many have gone as far as to speculate the virus jumped from an animal host to humans, possibly in such a setting. Some of the earliest people to come down with SARS reportedly worked in the wild animal trade. The Chinese government has since cracked down, raiding markets where wild animals are sold and restaurants where the meat is consumed. They have also pulled more than 300 business licenses from those dealing with the sale and trade of wild animals in Guangdong province. While there are laws against eating endangered animals in China, many animal activists would like to see a blanket ban to include "wild" animals as well. "There is no reason, other than ignorance and superstition, to consume wild animals today," says David Chu, a Hong Kong member of China's parliament in Beijing. Despite the crackdown, few expect the law or fear of SARS will make these markets disappear, especially since speculation is rife that many of the people who operate the markets or eating establishments are protected by low-level local officials. "There may be individual cases of small government officials helping, or for their own interest, engaging in this business ... there may be," says Chu.
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