(CN) Fw: 'Meat is edible' signs scrapped by zoo

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A Shanghai zoo is getting rid of signs that tell people meat is edible and

animals are evil.

 

An official said it wants to make visitors look at the animals with

" tenderness and affection " .

 

The zoo is also revamping the descriptions of around 200 species.

 

China Daily reports information boards bearing phrases like " Meat is

edible " , " Fur can be used " and " Evil animal " will be replaced with the likes

of " Please be nice to me " .

 

Zoo official Tang Jirong said: " We hope in this way more visitors will look

at the animals with tenderness and affection, not as if they were merely

resources for human use. Man will treat animals as equals some day. "

 

The boards, which are decades old, described the tiger as an " evil animal "

whose meat is edible, bones can be used as medicine and fur can be made into

a carpet.

 

A new board in front of the tigers' pen includes a detailed description of

its plight and urges visitors to protect them.

 

Tang said: " We have removed words of hostility. The new boards say tigers

can also live on crops, but may attack human beings when starved to

extremes. "

 

Figures provided by the zoo show between 1952 and 1953, some 170 South China

tigers were killed in central China's Hunan Province alone. They are now on

the verge of extinction.

 

Tang added: " Some people killed male tigers to eat their genitals, which are

believed to have the functions of Viagra. "