[CH] Gourmet Dogs?

R.Solarion - Apollonius.Net (damis@apollonius.net)
Mon, 3 Apr 2000 20:27:38 -0600 

> From the London Sunday Times  02-April-2000
>
> Swiss Aghast As St Bernards Become Hottest Dogs In China
>
>                   Peter Conradi
>
>
>  FROM the Alpine passes to the Chinese takeaway, mein
>  chow is becoming chow mein. Swiss animal rights
>  campaigners have urged their government to ban the export
>  of St Bernards to the Far East because of fears that they will
>  end up in the cooking pot.
>
>  Milly Scher-Mazoli, president of the Swiss-based
>  International Organisation for Animal Protection, claimed last
>  week that there was growing evidence that many of the
>  famed mountain rescue dogs sent to China, Taiwan and
>  South Korea were being eaten.
>
>  It is alleged that the animals - praised by Chinese breeders
>  for the speed with which they put on weight - are often
>  tortured before being skinned alive. This is intended to
>  increase the quantity of adrenaline, which is believed to give
>  the meat aphrodisiac qualities.
>
>  "We have information from our sources among breeders that
>  at least 100 St Bernards have been exported to the region in
>  the past two or three years," Scher-Mazoli said.
>
>  "The St Bernard is a symbol of Switzerland. It is a disgrace
>  for our country to allow these dogs to be exported to
>  countries where they face such an appalling fate."
>
>  The Swiss government has yet to respond to the demands of
>  the organisation, which presented a petition to parliament last
>  week calling for a ban on the export of all live dogs and cats
>  to China, Taiwan, Vietnam and South Korea.
>
>  Several Swiss breeders claim to have been approached by
>  prospective buyers from the Far East who they suspected
>  were less interested in the animals for their legendary good
>  nature than for their meat.
>
>  "I had one Chinese buyer asking me detailed questions about
>  how quickly they put on weight, the kind of questions that
>  someone buying cows or pigs would ask," said Margrit
>  Burri, who breeds the dogs near Berne. "I refused to sell."
>
>  Dogs have long been a delicacy in China, especially in the
>  southern province of Guangdong, with whole dead animals
>  openly on sale at markets in Guangzhou, the provincial
>  capital.
>
>  Described on menus as "fragrant meat", it is usually either
>  stir-fried or stewed in a hot pot. Recently, however, Chinese
>  and other consumers in the Far East appear to have begun
>  developing a particular taste for the Swiss national dog.
>
>  Articles have appeared in the country's newspapers extolling
>  the virtues of the breed on grounds not only that it grows
>  quickly but also that it is docile, thus minimising the risks to
>  those who look after them.
>
>  "Dog meat is fine, tasty and can warm the body," said a
>  recent article in the Beijing Youth Daily.
>
>  "Male Great Danes, St Bernards and Tibetan Mastiffs have
>  been chosen to be imported by the Beijing HongDing
>  Breeding and Development Co to hybridise with Mongolian
>  dogs to create a new generation of meat dogs."
>
>  The company, which boasts of the quality and hygiene of its
>  slaughterhouse, claims to kill 100,000 animals of different
>  breeds a year.
>
>  A separate report, on Chinese state television, also praised
>  St Bernards as "fast growing and disease resistant". Because
>  they rested immediately after meals, they put on as much as a
>  pound a day, ensuring that they would "be ready for market"
>  in just three or four months.
>
>  Beverley Cuddy, editor of the British magazine Dogs Today,
>  said: "The St Bernard's size is its biggest misfortune. They
>  are so large that it is viable to farm them like cows.
>
>  "We have to educate people that dogs are highly intelligent
>  and deserve respect. A dog is for life, not just for dinner."