Time to ban the sale of products from endangered species

    Updated: 2016-01-01 07:36

    By Peter Liang(HK Edition)

      Print Mail Large Medium  Small 分享按鈕 0

    A local television station last week showed a recent documentary that drew viewers' attention to the demise of the sea horses that used to thrive in the warm waters of the South China Sea. The wildlife investigators in the show traced the cause of this environmental tragedy to the many herbal medicine stores in Hong Kong. In these stores, dehydrated sea horse carcasses are sold to customers who believe in the medicinal powers of the dead marine creatures.

    Indeed, Hong Kong has earned the dubious honor of hosting a thriving trade in animal products, including ivory, rhino horns, tiger penises, bear gall bladders and, of course, sea horses, that has led indirectly to the slaughter of various endangered species from the African savannas to the Asian jungles.

    Various environmental groups have called for a blanket ban on the trade of all products obtained from the killing of endangered species. Although the government has said that it is open to taking tougher action against the trade in endangered animal species, it has not initiated the legislative process to pass the relevant law.

    Legislators obviously have been getting impatient at the government's inaction. Early last month, they passed a non-binding motion urging the authorities to step up efforts to clamp down on the smuggling of ivory tusks and products from other species considered to be endangered. The motion was passed by a majority of legislators across the political spectrum.

    Environmentalists and animal rights advocates have argued that stepping up enforcement and increasing penalties against smugglers will not be enough to deter offenders. They are right, because the strong demand by local customers and mainland visitors willing to pay a high price for what they believe to be major drugs will keep the supply flowing.

    The only way to stop this abominable traffic in endangered species is to ban the retail sales of these products in Hong Kong.

    And, of course, the public should be educated to recognize that eating dried sea horses is not going to do much good to their backbones. If they have such a problem, they are better advised to drink more milk.

    (HK Edition 01/01/2016 page5)

    无码日韩精品一区二区三区免费| 最近中文国语字幕在线播放视频| 最好看更新中文字幕| 久久久久久亚洲Av无码精品专口| 亚洲国产中文v高清在线观看| 少妇中文无码高清| 亚洲AV无码精品色午夜在线观看| 久久精品?ⅴ无码中文字幕| 一本之道高清无码视频| 日韩精品中文字幕无码一区| 亚洲不卡无码av中文字幕| 亚洲中文字幕无码日韩| 国模无码一区二区三区不卡| 无码无遮挡又大又爽又黄的视频| 中文无码熟妇人妻AV在线| 无码中文字幕av免费放dvd| 亚洲不卡无码av中文字幕| 精品无码国产一区二区三区AV | 中文字幕无码乱人伦| 国产a v无码专区亚洲av| 无码精品人妻一区二区三区人妻斩| 炫硕日本一区二区三区综合区在线中文字幕| 天堂资源8中文最新版| 亚洲.欧美.中文字幕在线观看| 日韩欧国产精品一区综合无码| 日韩欧精品无码视频无删节 | 亚洲日韩欧洲无码av夜夜摸| 最近中文字幕无免费| 欧美精品丝袜久久久中文字幕| 久久99中文字幕久久| 在线观看中文字幕| 日韩中文字幕在线播放| 中文字幕av在线| 国产精品综合专区中文字幕免费播放| 日韩精品中文字幕无码一区| 无码人妻精品中文字幕免费| 欧美激情中文字幕| 亚洲伊人久久综合中文成人网 | 日韩高清在线中文字带字幕| 美丽姑娘免费观看在线观看中文版| 亚洲中文字幕在线第六区|