Most of the time, the image of a zoo is one of animal protection and education. However, the Beijing zoo has expanded this 'education' to include the culinary aspects of some of the more exotic animals housed therein.
For about 20-200 dollars, visitors to the Bin Feng Tang restaurant can sample hippo, scorpion, peacock, shark fin, kangaroo tail, or deer penis. Of course, the restaurant is not without controversy in the animal-loving world, and the restaurant and zoo are under fire for the practices.
For about 20-200 dollars, visitors to the Bin Feng Tang restaurant can sample hippo, scorpion, peacock, shark fin, kangaroo tail, or deer penis. Of course, the restaurant is not without controversy in the animal-loving world, and the restaurant and zoo are under fire for the practices.
"It is utterly inappropriate for a zoo to sell such items," said Ge Rui of the International Fund for Animal Welfare. "One of the zoo's missions is to foster love of animals and a desire to protect them. But by selling the meat of caged beasts, this zoo stimulates consumption and increases pressure on the animals in the wild. It is socially irresponsible."
Link - via shanghaiist
From the Upcoming ueue, submitted by nmiller.
I guess its a american puritane thing, seems to me you got bigger problems than worry about.
Well it seems deer penis is more popular than the rest of the animal.
I just hope for the deer population that they dont get to many orders.
Seems bizarre, but i guess zoos do serve hamburgers and there are cows 10 feet away.
Amazing that a zoo would intentionally glorify the practice, even if their shark fins may be harvested in a controlled environment. Somehow, I doubt it.
In terms of "protecting" what I meant was that they protect them until sold. This also implies that they can also charge admission to see or hunt the animals like they do at privately owned safari parks in Africa where you can pay to hunt big game. This protects the animals from poachers and ensures that they reproduce and their numbers increase.
When you allow people to profit from animals, the people will breed, medicate, vacinate, and protect the animals from extinction. It is in the African tribe's best interest to keep poachers away from their rhinos, because hunters will pay them money to hunt them, or they can harvest their horns for BS Chineese medicine use or whatever. Because that African tribe makes money off of the sell of those animals, they want to keep the supply of those animals up so that they can continue to sell even more for tourism, meat, skin, and other items that those animals produce where there is a market value for. That is why we should support legalizing the ownership and sell of endangered species for such purposes. Private markets will ensure that those animals are protected from extinction. I bet bald eagle tastes great, and their feathers look good too. Why not privatize that bird and see flocks of them farmed? Can you imagine one day that bird no longer being endangered, but being too populous?