China
The People's Republic of China is one of the countries with the greatest diversity of wildlife on our planet, and is, at the same time, one of the fastest growing economies in the world. Famous for its giant pandas, the country also has a wide variety of mammals and birds.
Zoos
Chinese zoos have become known for their many violations in animal welfare. Animals are usually kept in inadequate conditions and receive very little attention. Normally, such violations are overlooked, however, following an international conviction, the Henyang Forest Wild Animal Zoo was closed after 11 Siberian tigers allegedly died from malnutrition. Meat of the animals of the same center is offered in the Beijing Zoo restaurant.
For more information click here.
Animals on the menu
Apparently there is a Chinese belief that suffering increases the quality and taste of meat. Given this and the fact that the meat of many animal species (dog, cat, camel, exotic animals, etc.) is consumed in the country, tourists have to take particular care when ordering food in restaurants.
In some restaurants in China it is also considered a delicacy to eat octopus and fish that are still alive: they are served on the plate with vegetables, rice and sauces and cut just there. Culture and traditions should not be an excuse for animal cruelty or become an attraction.
Likewise, the country is sadly famous for shark fin soup, although according to the latest studies its use has decreased considerably,
, and that is very positive news especially considering that it is a dish strongly rooted in the local culture.
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Ivory
The wild elephant population is declining due to trying to satisfy the high demand for ivory, among other reasons. And the Chinese market is, in this sense, the largest by far. Despite the worldwide ban on ivory trade, the hunting of African elephants has been increasing mainly due to Chinese smugglers. Tourists can find various souvenirs made from this material - especially small figurines - and it is very important not to buy them: not only because their production is leading to the extinction of elephants, but also because it is an illegal product that could get the buyers into serious trouble.
More information.
Pig and other animal fights
Pig fights are organized predominantly in the Chinese region of Guangxi Zhuang where even a festival (in Luizhou) dedicated to this “tradition” is held. These barbaric shows are held in stadiums in front of thousands of shouting spectators.
The animals are forced to fight by their "trainers" who beat and prick them with pointed sticks. The animals crash into each other, hit their heads and bite their rivals in the neck. The fights end only when one or both of the animals die. In the same region, water buffalo are also used to fight to death in organized bloody fights. More information.
Tiger centers
In China, "Tiger Parks" have always been a popular and controversial tourist attraction: the animals that tourists get to see are only a small part of those that inhabit these parks since the vast majority of tigers usually live in horrible conditions in small cages deprived of any environmental enrichment and away from the eyes of the public. These centers exist mainly to feed the tiger bone wine industry.
Although trade of parts of these animals is legally prohibited since 1993, this wine is still sold throughout the country, and is especially requested in more rural areas, where traditional medicine is still of great importance, and where it is still believed that wine made from the bones of the strongest animal in the world will make the one who drinks it strong as well.
Wine prices range from $100 to $800 per bottle and it can usually be purchased in the same parks: although the labels generally do not explicitly indicate the ingredients, employees usually confirm very openly that it made from tiger bones.
Among the most famous and controversial centers we highlight the Xiongsen Bear and Tiger Mountain Village and the Harber Siberian Tiger Park.
For more information, consult here, here and here.
Panda centers
There are NO rescue centers for pandas in China. The so-called giant panda centers are nothing more than breeding centers in which, normally, the animals are of commercial value with the sole purpose of profit through this type of illegal practices. Many of these supposed rescue centers are close to nature reserves from which they take the pandas to bring them to their “rescue centers”. However, capturing pandas from their natural habitat is completely illegal unless they have to be rescued and rehabilitated, and finally returned back into the wild. These types of centers usually find an excuse to "rescue" the animals, which are rarely reintroduced back into their natural habitat and are used for breeding instead.
Bear bile farms
In April 2014, an important victory for animals was reached in China: a government-owned company announced that, with the help of the Animal Asia NGO, it would go from being a bear bile farm to a sanctuary for these animals. We note that in China there are around 70 farms of this type, which keep animals in tiny cages to extract their bile with basic methods for traditional medicine. Some of these farms are open to the public and there are travel agencies specialized in organizing tours to these facilities - especially for tourists from South Korea.
For more information on the topic, click here.
Keychains with live animals?
In some of the most important cities in the country, you can find street vendors offering keychains with live animals (fish and turtles) inside. People who sell them usually indicate that animals can survive for up to 3 months since the liquid in which they move contains particular nutrients, but the truth is that, as indicated by local organizations, these animals die shortly afterwards due to lack of oxygen and food. You can sign a petition to ask for a ban on the sale of these items.
Camel rides
In several locations in China, such as in Ganshu Province, or the Ningxia and Xinjiang Districts, it is possible to hire camel rides.
The animals used in these activities may also suffer from health and welfare problems involved in their use and the inability to develop their natural behaviours if they are not treated properly. Sometimes the owners do not have the necessary resources or knowledge to keep them in a good state of health and well-being. Both for these reasons and taking into account that these animals can become aggressive and transmit diseases to people, in case you want to hire this type of activity, it is important to do so with a responsible provider that offers dignified living conditions to its camels.
For more information on this topic click here.
Sharks in a nightclub
At MINT nightclub,one of the most fashionable places in Shanghai which is visited by many tourists every year, small sharks are kept in an aquarium inside, in conditions of completely unnatural light and noise. Tourists can choose not to go to this place or express their opinion to those responsible for these animals. In case of encountering other animals kept in similar conditions or exhibited as an attraction, they can contact local organizations or us.
Dolphinariums
In this country you can also find centers that keep cetaceans (dolphins, orcas or beluga whales) in captivity. Research has shown that these intelligent animals suffer greatly in the limiting conditions of dolphinariums and their levels of stress and mortality are highly elevated.
The training of these animals for circus shows where they perform totally unnatural behaviours, which can physically harm them, is achieved by keeping the animals in a permanent state of hunger so that they act in exchange for a piece of dead fish.
Condemned by their facial structure, which resembles a human smile, these highly social animals, which would swim long distances and dive into great depths in the wild, are used to perform stunts in small concrete tanks. Many of these individuals are taken from the wild.
More information at sosdelfines.
Here is a list of local NGOs that can be contacted in case you want to make a donation, a complaint or find an animal that needs help in China:
Hong Kong Bird Watching Society (HKBWS)
In case of witnessing animal abuse or mistreatment, it is necessary to contact the local police. In case the police department does not collaborate, it is important to notify Earth Care.
Recommended rescue centers: China Bear Sanctuary
