Chinese Zoo Puts Wild Animals On the Menu

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http://english.epochtimes.com/news/4-2-6/19469.html

Chinese Zoo Puts Wild Animals On the Menu

 

 

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The Epoch Times

 

 

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Feb 06, 2004

 

During the Chinese New Year, Nanning Zoo in southern China astonished

visitors by offering ostrich meat and peacock soup. Everyday an 80 kilogram

ostrich and two 3 kilogram peacocks were cooked for visitors. One confused

visitor asked, “A zoo is supposed to be good place for animals to live, now

it’s a good place for people to taste the animals. What’s going on?”

At the gate of Nanning Zoo people visiters see a sign that reads, “Come Try

Ostrich Meat and Peacock Soup.” “Delicious Free Food, First Come, First

Serve” was also on a billboard for the 2004 Zoo Carnival, according to the

Southern Morning News.

 

Upon seeing these “meat and soup” advertisements, a visitor named Yang said

he felt uncomfortable, “A zoo is supposed to be a place for a citizen to

watch and get intimate with the animals. But now it’s trying to amuse

visitors with meat and soup made from the animals. It’s really disturbing.”

 

Another confused Nanning citizen Mr. Lee said during this Chinese New Year,

the zoo on one hand promoted a project for citizens to adopt monkeys, and on

the other hand it cooked the same animals it was putting on display to

attract visitors. “That’s too much,” he said.

 

A staff member from the zoo explained that the purpose of this activity was

mainly to let people understand that the zoo not only displayed animals but

also raised animals for eating, which has economic value.

 

During the Chinese New Year, the zoo made 3,000 yuan on cooked animals that

it bred artificially. The staff member said the zoo has received some

negative feedback, but the zoo visitors who have come to eat the cooked

animals has increased.