Eating wild meat - a thousand-year habit of harming Chinese people

The belief in miraculous use for health, social fame, causing Chinese people to continue the habit of eating wildlife is being criticized as bringing the risk of infection.

In China, the habit of eating civet, porcupines, as well as wildlife of people has lasted for centuries. But now that habit has once again become the focus of criticism as scientists trace the new strain of the corona virus and find out that it exists on bats, with the suspicion that this is the virus's host.

In recent years, the people of China's major cities have reduced the consumption of wildlife, but this habit still exists in many communities. In addition to the strange beliefs about miraculous uses for health, many people continue to eat wildlife as a way to show off their wealth, amid the increasingly rich and middle-class people in China. casting.

Show off wealth, believe the health benefits

At dinner just before the Chinese New Year on January 24, a family in Guangzhou City, Guangdong Province, debated the benefits and harms of a predatory diet for wildlife. These people were forced to spend their entire Tet holiday at home due to the new strain of corona virus.

"I can't believe people can eat rats and bats," the 26-year-old son declared, horrified.

Several reports have suggested that the new strain of the corona virus has jumped from bats to humans through temporary hosts such as snakes and mice, sold at unsanitary animal markets in Wuhan City, the focus of the outbreak. disease outbreak.

After a heated debate, the older sister reminded her brother of the fact that the family had also eaten wildlife a few years ago. That's when family acquaintances gave them a deer. The younger brother recalled and commented that deer meat was no different from tough beef.

Plowing incense is a meat favorite among the Chinese.(Photo: Reuters)

In China, the country with the second largest economy in the world, beef, chicken and pork are always filled with supermarket shelves. However, many people still tend to look for wildlife. Popular Chinese animals include rats, foxes, plowing incense and porcupines, even some endangered species are protected.

The persistent problem of wildlife predation is in part due to its social reputation. The eating of rare, expensive animals is a way of showing wealth. Many people use wildlife meat as gifts for important people, like the way the family in Guangzhou has received giraffes.

For young people, the predation of wildlife is also a way to polish their name on social networks. The video of a woman eating an entire bat became famous on social media in mid-January, sparking criticism as the corona virus began to spread. Many then had to delete wildlife-related posts.

The biggest reason many Chinese are loyal to their wildlife-eating habits is their belief in their health benefits.

Some comments claim that this use stems from the fact that wild animals do not eat industrial food and use human medicine. Some comments point out the link between wildlife and traditional Chinese remedies.

Trust lacks basis

The belief of the Chinese people in wildlife meat related to traditional medicine comes from Ly Thoi Tran's manuscript, a medical document from the Ming Dynasty which shows the uses and medicinal properties of 1,900 species of plants, minerals and animals. In it, bats are described as helping fight esophagitis and persistent coughing.

Modern medicine, in fact, refutes such information.

"Many people believe that traditional medicine means eating wild meat, but they are wrong. What doctor would recommend that patients eat germs? It's just a traditional food, a traditional diet. time based on indiscriminate thoughts, " said a 55-year-old pharmacist in Guangzhou.

An oriental medicine doctor at a major hospital in Guangzhou said wildlife could play a role in some medications, but stressed that experts always clean and treat the creatures alive. Before extracting what is needed from them.

Authorities seize animals at Wuhan wildlife market.(Photo: Reuters)

Covid-19 was not the first plague to spark criticism about China's wildlife meat consumption habits.

When SARS acute outbreaks broke out in Guangdong province in 2002, then spread worldwide, it was suggested that civets were transmitting the virus to humans. The Chinese government then banned wildlife markets and restaurants.

Compared to 1999, the number of wildlife restaurants was down by 6.6% in 2005. Meanwhile, the China Wildlife Conservation Society said the proportion of people who had never tried meat meat before. Wildlife in the country has increased from about 30% to 71.7% in the same period.

However, when conducting an emergency investigation amid the new strain of corona virus, Chinese authorities discovered a large number of businesses that continued to trade wildlife, both in rural areas as well as in rural areas. big cities like Guangzhou, Shenzhen, or like in Wuhan.

The Covid-19 outbreak further fueled criticism for wildlife predatory behavior.

However, this is a culinary habit that has existed for centuries, and no one can guarantee corona virus will change attitudes about social fame or health benefits even if there is no scientific basis in Chinese people's minds.