MSNBC 1/8/04: Civet cat, a shy fruit eater, targeted for mass slaughter

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Civet cat becomes SARS scapegoat

Shy fruit eater targeted for mass slaughter

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/3908790/

China Photo / REUTERS

 

 

A civet cat paces inside a cage Nov. 12 at a

wild-game market in Guangzhou, the capital of

Guangdong province.

 

The Associated Press

Updated: 4:52 p.m. ET Jan. 08, 2004

 

SHANGHAI, China - The civet cat has a definite image problem.

 

Nine months ago, the animals were banished as

suspected spreaders of the SARS virus, only to be

back on the menu after the outbreak subsided.

 

Now they and other wild animals sold as food are

again being targeted for slaughter as China seeks

to block a re-emergence of SARS. Some 10,000

civets have been ordered drowned, electrocuted

and incinerated by Saturday.

 

'A damned creature'

" People eat wild game for its supposed

health-giving properties, but the civet had come

to be known as a damned creature, " said Hu

Xueming, deputy general secretary of the

Guangzhou Food and Beverage Association.

 

Scientists have found no incontrovertible proof

that civets are responsible for SARS' jump to

human beings, but they have found the virus

present in the breed.

 

The civets' unenviable fate seems sadly at odds

with its origins as a shy, fruit-eating tree

dweller that just happens to be prized as a

delicacy in southern China.

 

Civets are mongoose-like animals found throughout

Africa and Asia and only distantly related to the

common house cat. Some species are

ground-dwelling and omnivorous, although the

Chinese species tied to the SARS virus, the

masked palm civet, lives in trees and eat

oranges, papayas and mangos.

 

Members of the Viverridae family, civets have a

pointy, striped nose like a weasel, with a long,

cat-like body and tail. Most are between five and

11 pounds, but can weigh up to about 25 pounds.

 

Known for medicinal qualities

Civets are usually only served in specialty

wildlife restaurants, called " yewei, " or " wild

taste " in Chinese. Often located in hilly rural

areas on the edge of Guangzhou and other southern

cities, the restaurants keep live animals in

cages, awaiting the customer's selection, then

slaughter them on the spot.

 

Other than its distinctive flavor, civet meat is

also credited with having medicinal qualities.

Consumers say civet flesh can improve male

virility, cure skin diseases, and improve other

ailments.

 

There are various forms of preparation, but the

most popular is to fry the meat with soy sauce

adding bird's nest for flavor and nutritional

value, Hu said.

 

" You have to eat it while it's hot, because if it

gets cold the oil will congeal and you'll have a

gamey smell, " Hu said.

 

Elsewhere in Asia, civets are hunted for their

fur, which is gray or brown and can have stripes

or spots, and also caged for their musk which is

extracted for use in making perfume.

 

Civet dining isn't cheap. The animals can fetch

$10 a pound - a princely sum in China, where the

average urban worker makes only about $700 a

year. An average platter in Guangzhou costs

$8-$10.

 

Diminishing demand

Yet with the factories of southern China powering

an economic boom, residents of Guangzhou and

other cities can afford it. Demand had been

rising for years, during which civets and other

wild animals were seized from markets and

breeding farms closed.

 

But after last year's ban, which was lifted in

August only to be reimposed this week, the

civet's popularity with diners started to wane.

 

Many were scared off by the animal's association

with the SARS outbreak, Hu said. The ban makes it

illegal for restaurants to serve civet, have it

on the menu or advertise it.

 

The civet's return to obscurity could be the best

outcome of the slaughter, according to Beijing

environmentalist Guo Geng. He wants the animals

released into the wild.

 

" I'd love it if Cantonese abandoned eating the

civet. We shouldn't be worried about them

spreading disease because when they see a human

they turn and run, " Guo said in an interview with

the Chinese Web site Sina.com.

 

Other animals suspected of carrying the SARS

virus and ordered slaughtered include raccoon

dogs, a primitive canine with raccoon-like facial

markings, and three types of badgers.

 

© 2004 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

This material may not be published, broadcast,

rewritten or redistributed.

 

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