(CN) Expert blasts move to lift ban on wild animal trade

[Guest guest]

China Daily

http://china.scmp.com/chimain/ZZZDU1BVSHD.html

Saturday, July 19, 2003

MARY ANN BENITEZ and YI HU

 

A member of the University of Hong Kong's team of

microbiologists which detected the Sars virus in civet cats says Guangdong

is making a mistake by lifting a ban on the trade in wild animals.

 

Forestry officials in Guangdong on Thursday decided to lift the

ban on trade and transportation of more than 40 wild animals, including the

civet cat.

 

The mainland imposed the ban in May after the university

research team and the Shenzhen Centre for Disease Control and Prevention

found that civet cats harboured the coronavirus, similar to one that caused

Sars.

 

A spokesman for the Guangdong Forestry Department said the State

Forest Administration believed the civet cat did not carry the coronavirus

which was believed to cause Sars.

 

But Guan Yi, associate professor at the university's department

of microbiologist, said yesterday: " I do not know why they made that kind of

decision. I think it is a mistake. "

 

He said the teams were continuing with their work to try to find

the exact animal source of the Sars virus.

 

Danuta Skowronski, a respiratory disease expert at the British

Columbia Centre for Disease Control in Vancouver, believes Sars is here to

stay.

 

" The question I keep asking is: name another infectious disease

that has established such a foothold in the human population? We're talking

30 countries, thousands of cases, several hundred deaths that we've been

able to drive back to nature, " she told the Canadian press yesterday.

 

Meanwhile, a survey conducted by Guangzhou Centre for Public

Opinion Research showed that nearly 90 per cent of Guangdong residents

support legislation banning the consumption of some wildlife species, while

one third were in favour of a total ban.

 

The Guangzhou Centre for Public Opinion Research recorded 88.8

per cent support for a selective ban on wildlife consumption after

interviewing 4,036 people in 11 cities across the province in the past week,

said He Meihua, a spokeswoman of the centre, which specialises in public

opinion studies.

 

Only 5 per cent of the interviewees voiced their opposition to

this wide-spread habit in the province.

 

The poll found more than half of Guangdong residents had eaten

wild animals. Snake meat was the favourite, with 44.9 per cent having tasted

it.

 

Those who supported a partial ban gave varied reasons for their

decision. " Eating of animals that are not harmful to health should be

allowed " , " an absolute ban won't work " and " it's a pity not to eat some

animal meat " were some of them.