SHANGHAI, China - The Huifu Fine-food Restaurant in east China is
drawing attention with special menu offerings that include alligator kebabs and
soup - complete with the endangered species' head and tail.
A waitress displays gourmet Chinese alligator at a restaurant
in Huangshan, East China's Anhui Province on November 27, 2006. China has
three franchised eateries that serve Chinese alligator, which is at the
top of the list of protected animals in China. [newsphoto]
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The restaurant, in the scenic
city of Huangshan in eastern Anhui province, has been doing a roaring business
since it started serving alligator dishes last month, staff said Friday.
"Yes, we do serve alligator here, but the amount is limited every day so
you'd better book it at least two or three days ahead," said a staffer at the
restaurant, who refused to give his name.
He said the most recommended dishes were alligator steak and soup. "Both of
them keep the natural taste of the alligator meat," he said.
The species of alligator served at Huifu - the "alligator
sinensis" - is a critically endangered species in its natural habitat, with
only about 150 thought to be living in the wild in Anhui and neighboring Jiangxi
and Zhejiang provinces along the Yangtze river.
The restaurant obtained a special license from the Forestry Ministry for
serving meat from reptiles raised at a breeding center, said a manager at the
restaurant, who gave only her surname, Lin. She said four restaurants in Anhui
were serving alligator.
Despite the establishment of protection zones and laws against poaching, the
population in the wild is falling by 4 percent to 6 percent a year, the official
Xinhua News Agency said.
The number of farmed alligators has soared to more than 10,000 because the
animals breed prolifically in captivity, unlike another rare Chinese species,
the giant panda.
Although breeding centers are struggling to prevent inbreeding among the
captive species, the number hatched each year exceeds 1,500.
The Chinese penchant for exotic dishes, mainly in the
south, includes all sorts of creatures, including snakes and other
reptiles - "anything that flies, walks or swims," according to one
traditional saying.
While some reports questioned the wisdom of stimulating demand for an
endangered species and potentially encouraging poaching, supporters say sales of
alligator meat and skins can help support efforts to save the species.
The alligators slaughtered for food are only those in the third generation of
captive breeding - those most likely to be affected by inbreeding, said Wu
Xiaobing, an expert on Chinese alligators at the Wuhu-based College of Life
Science, Anhui Normal University.
"In my opinion, there's no problem with this," Wu said.