It is a well-known fact that traditional Chinese medicine relies heavily on the use of various animal parts.
Thus, environmentalists and conservationists have long opposed the fact that this industry requires that ivory taken from elephants and rhino horns are used for medicinal purposes.
More precisely, conservationists who investigated this issue claim that as much as 150 million such aquatic creatures are killed on a yearly basis in order to prepare various cures.
Interestingly enough, rumor has it that dried seahorses are also shipped to other parts of the world, where they are illegally sold in medicine shops.
This is troubling news indeed, as it goes to show that conservation projects must also be aimed at overseeing international illegal trading operations which involve the shipment of these animals from one part of the world to another.
Apparently, according to rather old Chinese beliefs, seahorses can be used to treat a great variety of health conditions, including sexual dysfunctions and baldness.
Thai Panda informs us that Kealan Doyle, a marine biologist who took it to himself to look into how traditional Chinese medicine impacts on our planet's biodiversity, explained how, “It’s a huge underestimate. I visited stores which had something like 30,000 dried seahorses in bags piled from floor to ceiling and there are 6,000 such stores in Hong Kong alone.”
He further added that, “We are not talking about a slow decline here, this is an absolute decimation of this unique creature which has been with us for millions of years. At this rate, it will be wiped out in between 10 and 20 years.”
Hopefully, immediate measures will be taken so as to safeguard this species and keep it from becoming extinct.
Via: The Chinese Medicine Industry Stands to Destroy Our Worlds Seahorse Population
Tidak ada komentar:
Posting Komentar