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China officials dine on endangered salamander: reports

pete

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Been awhile since I've been on these forums, but I saw this disturbing headline and thought it would be worth sharing.

China officials dine on endangered salamander: reports

Beijing (AFP) - Chinese officials feasted on a critically endangered giant salamander and turned violent when journalists photographed the luxury banquet, according to media reports Tuesday on the event which appeared to flout Beijing's austerity campaign.

The 28 diners included senior police officials from the southern city of Shenzhen, the Global Times said.

"In my territory, it is my treat," it quoted a man in the room as saying.

The giant salamander is believed by some Chinese to have anti-ageing properties, but there is no orthodox evidence to back the claim.

The species is classed as "critically endangered" on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's (IUCN) Red List of threatened species, which says the population has "declined catastrophically over the last 30 years".

"Commercial over-exploitation for human consumption is the main threat to this species," the IUCN said.

A waitress serves shark fins soup at a restaurant
A waitress serves shark fin's soup at a restaurant in Guangzhou, southern China's Guangdong …
The Global Times cited the Guangzhou-based Southern Metropolis Daily, which said its journalists were beaten up when their identities were discovered by the diners.

One was kicked and slapped, another had his mobile phone forcibly taken, while the photographer was choked, beaten up and had his camera smashed, the reports said.

A total of 14 police have been suspended and an investigation launched into the incident, added the Global Times.

One of the Shenzhen diners provided the salamander and said it had been captive-bred, according to the report.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has launched a much-publicised austerity drive for the ruling classes, including a campaign for simple meals with the catchphrase “four dishes and one soup”.

The ruling Communist Party also says it is cracking down on the consumption of endangered species, including shark's fin.

China's legislature last April approved a law including prison sentences for people caught eating rare wild animals.

The Chinese government considers 420 wild animal species as rare or endangered, state media previously said.
 

jAfFa CaKe

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Disgusting. It's unbelievable... You would think the Chinese Government would be trying to save this species, not eradicate it.
 

velasco13000

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why cant we try to raise a ton of them here in the US? Has there ever been any here in the US? If we could breed them like the axolotls it would be great for the species.
 

Stupot1610

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It's not really that simple. I don't think they've actually manage to breed them - they just raise huge numbers of eggs.
 

Azhael

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They are bred in farms, i don't have a problem with that.
I do have a problem with using shark fins, though...because that is having enormous and trully terrible consequences.
 
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Chinadog

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They are bred in farms, i don't have a problem with that.
I do have a problem with eating shark fins, though...because that is having enormous and trully terrible consequences.

That's where I'm at. Breeding salamanders for food is only like cows, sheep or any other animal in my view. Although I suppose it depends what they feed them. If its pellets, it takes a lot of fish (usually wild) to produce fishmeal for the protein content. Wastefully killing sharks for their fins or any other endangered wild animal is a whole new ball game, though.
 

herpguy

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why cant we try to raise a ton of them here in the US? Has there ever been any here in the US? If we could breed them like the axolotls it would be great for the species.

Farming does not help a species ecologically.
 

herpguy

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It stops wild animals being taken for food and then subsequently helps to prevent the extinction of wild populations.

Stuart

I am doubtful about that. Look at axolotls, a perfect example. They have been captive bred for an extremely long time (I think somewhere around 300) and yet still are almost extinct from the wild (it was thought they were). Guinea pigs are another example, they are extinct from the wild despite being bred for food and pets around the world. The chinchilla, a common pet, is critically endangered.

So no, past history consistently shows that farming does not help a species ecologically.
 

Stupot1610

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I am doubtful about that. Look at axolotls, a perfect example. They have been captive bred for an extremely long time (I think somewhere around 300) and yet still are almost extinct from the wild (it was thought they were). Guinea pigs are another example, they are extinct from the wild despite being bred for food and pets around the world. The chinchilla, a common pet, is critically endangered.

So no, past history consistently shows that farming does not help a species ecologically.

But it still means that the animals aren't being taken from the wild, therefore I have no problems with it.

Stuart
 
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