Not a Normal Killing (warning, very disturbing image at link)
By Rachel Nuwer | March 26, 2012
Reeking of infection, the elephant stumbled into the Tanzanian camp where Thomas Appleby works as a safari manager. Its back legs festered with gangrene radiating from the open, pungent wounds that the animal had evidently endured for at least two long weeks. Ivory poachers had shot the elephant in both legs, but it had probably bolted before they could subdue the massive beast enough to hack off its tusks. The infection had slowly spread throughout the animal’s limbs, and Appleby had to put it down.
“The poor thing, it completely tore my heart out,” Appleby said. “We are losing thousands—and I mean thousands—of iconic animals because of some kind of rapacious hunger from far off countries.”
The ivory poachers who shot Appleby’s elephant were most likely African, but their orders probably came from thousands of miles away—from China or Vietnam. In many parts of Asia, traditional Chinese medicine, a taste for wildmeat, a desire to display pricey horn and ivory trophies, and a lust for rare pets have merged into a cultural infatuation with wildlife consumption.
This voracity is taking its toll. The World Wildlife Fund declared the Javan rhino to be extinct in Vietnam in September. The Western black rhino was declared extinct in the wild in November. The Sumatran rhino is almost certainly now extinct in Thailand. Between January and October 2010, South Africa lost 230 rhinos to poaching—on average, one every 30 hours. Last year, South Africa lost a record 443 rhinos.
more (again, not for the weak of stomach)
http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/2012/03/26/not-a-normal-killing/
= new reply since forum marked as read
Chinese medicine, listed under "alternative" by wikipedia and the US government.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alternative_medicine
22,000,000 hits on Google for "traditional Chinese medicine alternative"
multitudes of people over the past 10 years who believe in alternative medicine include traditional Chinese medicine in the "alternative" umbrella.
1 guy named "roody" says it's not.
Really? I should believe you over my lyin' eyes?
