Endangered Cat Species Survival Trust (ECSST) ECSST News article of the day When will these rich people learn or don’t they care about the consequences of their greediness and this strange fixation on eating everything that is critically endangered? CHINESE PEOPLE USED TO THINK PANDAS WERE MONSTERS The animals were feared as metal-devouring tapirs who could chew the nails off a city gate. Rich Chinese are literally eating this exotic mammal into extinction, read a recent Global Post expose of the devastating trade in the pangolin, a scaly anteater that Chinese consider a delicacy. According to the Post, the adorable animals (which one columnist described as a four-legged pine cone) had become the most heavily trafficked mammal in the world, in large part because Chinese like to eat them. Other news reports have raised alarms over rare bears, tigers, and salamanders falling victim to Chinese appetites, raising the question: What wont China eat? The obvious answer is the Giant Panda, the endangered bear that has become synonymous with 5,000 years of Chinese history and the oddest-ever olive branch, a fuzzy form of diplomatic outreach. But its not been all that long since panda came unequivocally off-the-menu. Chinas love affair with the panda is in fact a fairly recent phenomenon, and while strong, is not symptomatic of a deep culture of animal protectionism. China has a dismal record when it comes to animal rights and conservation, and pandas are among a tiny minority of animals unlikely to end up in a Chinese soup pot somewhere. But the national embrace of the panda has inculcated a shared affection that could provide a template for saving other species in the future. The elevation of the black and white bear to Chinas national symbol happened gradually only over the last century. (There are 12 animals in the Chinese zodiac, which dates back over 2,000 years and includes the mythical dragon -- but no panda.) Yiduiread, a news channel on the hugely popular WeChat mobile messaging platform, posted a sweeping overview of panda history in June with the headline: Giant Panda: From Monster to National Icon READ FULL ARTICLE AT: foreignpolic y/articles/2014/10/23/china_didnt_alwa ys_love_its_pandas If you like it, please share it? ECSST (Endangered Cat Species Survival Trust) Homepage: ecsst.org (in the process of updating with lots of information regarding endangered cat species in the wild and our entire project, our photographers, cat species etc.) Facebook: facebook/ Endangeredcatspecies Twitter: https://twitter/ECSST777 Photographers group: facebook/ groups/332219533550937/ Chinese People Used to Think Pandas Were Monsters foreignpolicy
Posted on: Sun, 26 Oct 2014 08:09:54 +0000
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