Hormone replacement therapy: Pregnant Mare Urine (PMU) Farms are used by the pharmaceutical industry for the production of hormone replacement therapy (HRT). The name of the drug is Premarin which is short for PREgnant MARe’s urINe, and it is used to alleviate symptoms of the menopause, and prevent osteoporosis in post menopausal women.
About 750,000 female horses are impregnated each year and raised for the purpose of producing the hormone extracted from their urine. These mares are often confined in tiny stalls, unable to take more than a step or two in any direction for 6 months at a time with little opportunity for exercise. Urine collection bags are strapped to their groins. In order to make the urine more concentrated their fluid intake is restricted.
The foals are considered ‘by products’ and are fattened up, slaughtered and sold for horsemeat in France or dog food in Japan. If you are a pre-menopausal or post-menopausal woman you don’t need to contribute to this. Plant-sources such as Canestin is used to treat hot flushes/night sweats, Vitamin E, and herbs such as Black Cohosh. Nutritionists and Health Shops can suggest other humane treatments.
Species of endangered and threatened animals: continue to be poached to be turned into medicinal products. The rarity of a creature does not protect it from being killed, it just raises the market price. WHO (World Health Organisation) says 80% of developing countries rely on traditional medicine. Traditional Chinese medicines have been increasingly practiced in many countries of the world. Around 13% are suspected to contain animal derivatives.
Animals are used as ‘dry ingredients’ and combined with medical herbs. They are killed in billions and over 1,500 different species of animals are used in Indian and Chinese traditional medicines. From turtles, who promote longevity, to monkey blood which cures all sorts of things from achy joints to heart disease. If you are buying Chinese medicines, ask what you are putting into your body. Below are ten endangered species because of this:
Sun bear (1)
The population of the sun bears, one of several bears killed for its gall bladder, has significantly decreased due to hunting and loss of their forest habitat. This is illegal throughout South East Asia but these rules are rarely enforced. Animal campaigners have stepped up their campaign to end China’s cruel bear bile trade. Bear bile is a valued ingredient in Chinese medicine and is used to treat a variety of illnesses and injuries. High profits have made farmers reluctant to give it up. The huge demand has led to hunting of wild bears, and an illegal international trade of their parts.
Rhinoceros (2)
Rhino poaching has reached epidemic levels, nearly driving all species into extinction. In the 1990’s, China removed the animal from its list of ingredients approved for manufacturing medicines (rhino horn was thought to relieve fevers and lower blood pressure but not proven) and rhino populations began to recover. That changed a few years ago, when rumours began circulating in Vietnam, that rhino horn had cured a VIP of terminal liver cancer. Poaching of black and white rhinos in South Africa ramped up. The animals are threatened again.
Water buffalo (3)
Purebred wild water buffalos may already have disappeared from the world, scientists acknowledge. Researchers agree that the species is endangered, but there could be some pure water buffaloes left. Domestic varieties of hybrids may be all that remain in Southeast Asia, according to some estimates. But that hasn’t stopped people from hunting them in places like Cambodia. The water buffalo is considered an alternative to rhino horn in the treatment of conditions ranging from fever to convulsions. It has already been eliminated from the swaths of Laos, Bangladesh, Indonesia and Sri Lanka.
Chinese alligator (4)
This small freshwater species numbers fewer than 200 in the wild, mostly restricted to a small reserve in the Anhui province of China, along the lower Yangtze river. Habitat destruction, particularly dam building, has devastated the alligator population, hut hunting has also taken a toll. Alligator meat is promoted as a way to cure the common cold and prevent cancer and alligator organs are said to have medicinal properties. Captive breeding in an effort to restore the species has proved successful. There are now thousands of captive animals and new efforts to reduce them into the wild.
Asian elephants (5)
Asian elephants were once thought to be relatively immune to poaching, unlike their African relatives, but these animals are killed for their meat, hide, tusks and other body parts. In Myanmar, for example small pieces of elephant foot are turned into paste to treat hernias. A bigger concern, though, is the loss of the Asian elephant’s natural habitat and increasing conflict between the animals and the human population.
Musk deer (6)
Seven species are found in Asia, and populations have plummeted dramatically. Musk oil comes from the adult male deer, which is native to India. Its scent has been used in perfumes and medicines for thousands of years. The sad truth is that whilst the deer utilises its scent to detract enemies and lure mates, it also attracts hunters looking to make money from this very valuable scent. The typical process for extracting musk glands from a musk deer involves killing the animal. The gland is often extracted from the deer’s abdomen and dried.
Even though perfume makers have synthetic alternatives, the hunting hasn’t stopped. Natural musk is still preferred in East Asian medicine. Many traditional Asian medicines use this to combat ailments such as cardiac and respiratory problems, and it is in at least 400 Chinese and Korean and Chinese medicines. Outside of medicines it is used in shampoos, detergents, personal hygiene products and cosmetics. Musk deer meat is considered a local delicacy too. Rules and regulations to protect animals are ignored, because it fetches a lot of money.
Because of the growing concern for the future of the animal, farms have been set up to allow extraction of the gland without killing it, but ‘musk gatherers’ who can get a lot of money from foreign traders find it easier to kill them. France has been known to import raw musk to process perfume and international trade in musk deer pods or medicines containing musk have been found all over Europe, the UK and USA. Often rules and regulations to protect animals are ignored. Several different species of musk deer are listed on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
Grevy’s zebra (7)
This animal once roamed across East Africa. Its population dropped from 25,000 in the 1970’s to about 2,500 today. Humans killed them for their skins and to eliminate competition for water between them and livestock. They are found now in Northern Kenya and a few parts of Ethiopia. The Kenyan government developed a plan to conserve the remaining population. Included in the effort, was to work with traditional healers who use the zebra’s meat and fat to treat diseases such as tuberculosis.
Tigers (8)
White tigers originally lived across Asia from Turkey to the eastern coast of Russia. Their range has now dwindled to roughly a dozen countries, in east and south Asia and as few as 3,200 tigers may be left in the wild. The decline is the result of the use of tiger skins, bones, teeth and claws in traditional medicine. They are believed to cure toothaches and protect against malicious curses, among other maladies. Criminal poaching syndicates can now get as much as 50,000 dollars, for the parts from a single tiger and although international laws bans the commercial trade of tigers, several countries permit the farming of tigers, further driving black market demand.
Banteng (9)
The population of wild banteng, a species of cattle native to southeast Asia, is now estimated to be somewhere between 2,000 and 5,000, a decrease of more than 90% since the 1960’s. While land development and agriculture pose grave problems for the endangered species, poaching is a continued and direct threat, driven by the market for their horns, coveted as hunting trophies and use in traditional medicines. In 2003, banteng became the first endangered species to be successfully cloned, and researchers hope to use this technology for conservation purposes in the future.
Hawksbill sea turtle (10)
Although Hawksbill sea turtles can be found in environments ranging from the Caribbean Sea to the waters surrounding Indonesia, their numbers have dwindled to the point that they are now listed as critically endangered. Poachers hunt them for their shells, which have been distributed worldwide as travel souvenirs and incorporated into jewellery and other decorative items and for their oil, whose use in traditional medicine has increased in recent years. Bans on trading turtle products and various sting operations have achieved limited success in stopping the species decline.
Turtles: two thirds in the world are now threatened with extinction. 20 million are devoured in China each year. Slaughtered alive and fully conscious; their heads are decapitated and crushed but if not crushed properly, they can still survive up to an hour in agonising torment. You can campaign for laws to protect endangered species. Write to MP’s or MEP’S. Support charities, sign petitions and make people aware of the impact of climate change.
Bear bile farming: is legal in China. Thousands of Asiatic black bears live in captivity on bear farms throughout China, South Korea and Vietnam. They are denied everything that is natural to them, and are kept in cages so small they can’t turn around or sit up properly. Many have head wounds and broken teeth from banging and biting at the bars. Extraction of the bear’s bile is a process called ‘milking’ which is performed twice daily and is extremely painful. A catheter is surgically implanted into the bear’s abdomen. Vets rarely perform the surgery so roughly half the bears die from infections or complications. Bile is drained and collected by the farmer. Milking begins at age 3 years and continues for a minimum of 5-10 years. Some rescued bears had been producing bile for 20 years or more. They required physiotherapy, as they were unable to walk.
In 1996 the Chinese government banned the catheter method in favour of the ‘free drip’ method, but many farmers were unable to implement changes so the catheters are still widely used. The ‘free drip’ method involves surgery to create an open hole in the bear’s abdomen which increased the rate of infection and mortality. Farmers have trouble keeping the hole open as it naturally tries to heal and this results in more painful surgery. The filthy conditions on most farms cause bears to suffer from further infections, worms and other parasites. They are malnourished from a diet of grain, mash or porridge and their teeth and claws are often removed to prevent injuries to farmers.
Bear paws: are sold as a dining delicacy in some Asian countries or ground into powdered medicine.
Christians Caring For Gods Creatures 