China to crack down on eating civet cats - report
Date: 27-May-03
Country: CHINA
Beijing's wildlife protection authorities pledged to deal a swift blow to the selling, serving and eating of civet cats, the Beijing Youth Daily said on Sunday. It gave no details.
The University of Hong Kong's top microbiologist, Yuen Kwok-yung, said on Friday research showed it was likely the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome virus jumped to humans from civet cats, considered a delicacy by many Chinese especially in southern China.
SARS first appeared in southern China late last year.
Wild animals are openly kept, sold and butchered in markets in southern China, often in very unsanitary conditions.
The civet belongs to a large group of mostly nocturnal mammals which includes the mongoose. The Columbia Encyclopedia says civets are not true cats, but are related to the cat family. Most have cat-like bodies, long tails and weasel-like faces.