In a great article on one of my favourite websites, Treehugger passes on the disturbing information that Beijing Zoo is encouraging visitors to try out unusual meaty bits in its on-site restaurant. Deer penis, webbed Hippopotamus toes, Ant soup, Crocodiles and Kangaroo tail are just a few of the delicacies on offer in the restaurant.
'Please don't eat my toes!'
The zoo is under pressure to change its menu after considerable media coverage. Headlines such as ‘Don’t Feed The Animals – Eat Them Instead’ have reached the printers in many countries and within China, numerous activist groups have petitioned to outlaw the practice of eating animals that are supposedly being protected within zoos and wildlife parks.
Pretending to protect animals from extinction and then serving them up on a plate stretches the limits of acceptance of even the biggest consumers of animal flesh on the planet!
An American scoffs on average, over 222lbs of meat (boneless weight) in a year. The Aussies rank in at a whopping 242lbs per year EACH!! That’s an average and doesn’t take into consideration the fact that 15% or more of the population are vegetarian!
Strangely, Canadians are quite low down on the list of carnivores, even though I know of many homes with three or even more large chest freezers full of animal bits.
However, zoos are a different kettle of fish, so to speak. They have the designated purpose of preserving animal life and encouraging other people to care for the welfare of animals, both large and small.
'No! Take my toes, my tail, anything but that!'
If we don’t like something, then we have to say so, otherwise it becomes a part of accepted culture that nothing short of a revolution can change.
Phew! Now that I’ve got that off my chest, what do you think about eating exotic animals? Perhaps you don’t see any difference between eating the exotic and farmed animals. Perhaps you don’t agree with eating any animal. Let’s have it out here!
Sources:
