Porcupines across Southeast Asia are at risk of becoming endangered due to a misguided belief that undigested plant material found in their stomachs can cure cancer, diabetes, and dengue fever. This plant material, called bezoars, can only be removed through slaughter.
The prickly animal’s spines are also used in traditional Chinese medicine to prevent nosebleeds. The decline of porcupines is raising red flags in the conservation world and calls for porcupine protection are growing.
If the word bezoar sounds familiar, you may have heard it in a few of the Harry Potter books. In J.K. Rowling’s magical world, a bezoar from a goat counteracted most poisons. However, this is not the case in the real world.
There is no scientific evidence they offer any of the healing properties promised by traditional Chinese medicine.
Porcupine Poaching
The full extent of porcupine poaching is unknown despite calls to monitor and protect these animals. Since bezoars fetch between hundreds and thousands of dollars per ounce, the high price makes porcupines a prime target for poachers.
During the 1990s alone, the Malayan Porcupine declined by 20% due to overhunting. Though no comprehensive study has been done since that time, evidence suggests the decline has only continued.
Porcupine Farming
Almost as unpalatable as poaching wild porcupines, porcupine farming is common in Southeast Asia. The animals are bred, kept in small enclosures, and slaughtered for their meat, spines, and bezoars. Some sources claim that wild porcupines produce more potent medicinal properties, putting populations at risk.
Farmers have also admitted to using wild porcupines as founder stock. In addition, poachers will sell wild porcupine meat at a cheaper price than farmed meat. These activities put pressure on wild populations, threatening the species.
Porcupines are not at the forefront of conservation news. Though there are laws in place offering varying levels of protection, most protections are minimal and enforcement is difficult to navigate among legal trade.
Conservationists fear that porcupines will follow the path of pangolins. Illegally traded in the millions, pangolins became critically endangered before real protections kicked in.
Giving them the status of threatened or endangered would increase legal protections and raise awareness. CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) has not designated the porcupine any protections for trade.
What Can You Do?
It may seem daunting to think about combating the poaching of these adorable herbivores. But you can speak up for their protection. Email the U.S. ambassadors in Vietnam, Malaysia, and Indonesia and let them know this issue needs to be addressed.
What’s New…
THOSE BRUTAL UNCARING CHINESE PEOPLE! SOMETHING MUST BE DONE TO STOP ANIMAL ABUSE. WORLD WIDE!
WHAT DO YOU DO WITH ALL OF THE FAR EAST BARBARIANS AND SAVAGES. BILLIONS OF UNEDUCATED SAVAGES THAT HAVE NO MINDS OF THEIR OWN AND HAVE MISGUIDED IDEOLOGIES ABOUT ANIMALS AS HAVING THE CURE FOR ALL THEIR TROUBLES. I AM SO SORRY. I HAVE NO SOLUTION. PLEASE HELP ME COME OUT WITH ONE. I TRULY BELIEVE THAT IF WE WERE TO EDUCATE ALL OF THEM THAT THIS WORLD WILL BECOME A BETTER PLACE TO LIVE. IMAGINE THE COST AND THE TASK OF EDUCATING THESE BARBARIANS…………IS IT POSSIBLE????????
Cruelty needs to STOP!
THIS EVIL KILLING OF THE WORLD’S ANIMALS FOR ANY REASON WILL NOT BE TOLERATED – HUMANS WILL SLAUGHTER ANY LIVING BEING FOR THEIR GAIN – THIS KILLING WILL BE STOPPED BY HUMANS WHO CARE – HOW DARE YOU
How can you be so gullible? How can you be so cruel and indifferent? Why are you so inhuman?
Is there any animal on the planet that is safe from mankind(??on the kind) whoever created us shoulda stopped at the apes.
Justice
When will the Chinese ever learn?!
Pathetic assholes. These Chinese subhumans need to stop eating everything that is alive. They are morons and need to atop eating things for the “psychotic” medicine, they believe cures all of these ailments… DUH!!! Wake the fuck up!!!
Is there nothing the Chinese doesn’t think is should be used for medicine. How about bed pillows? Maybe they have some secret ingredient that will cure cancer. Ridiculous and beyond the thinking of the dark ages. Something needs to be done about these people. They definitely the problem not the solution.
This must be stopped.
Unfortunately, this behavior isn’t going to stop until humanity has eradicated and destroyed every animal on this planet. Then what will they do? What brainless, senseless ideas will they come up with to cure anything. Will they be able to come up with something that will cure heartless, cruel, stupid-minded individuals who thinks the world revolve around them and that no other living creature matter and should have their lives sacrified for humanity’s selfishness and greed.
For goodness sake, is there any species that the vile, depraved, cruel, brutal, sadistic, barbaric CHINESE will not torture, abuse and kill in the most horrific ways to satisfy their PERVERTED tastes and beliefs??? Do they really believe all the BS about these hocus-pocus medicines curing ALL their ailments and making the men more ‘virile’ as if we really need more of these brain-dead, moronic psychopaths on this planet. This planet, that they are, single-handed, slowly destroying with their obsessive ways. cultures and traditions. They abuse and torture every species that walks, flies, swims and crawls, nothing is spared, nothing is sacred……truly a nation inhabited by the lowest of the low, what happens when they have wiped everything out????
Please stop poaching these porcupines. It is cruel !
Schlitzaugen sollen aussterben!
Leave them alone and free where they should be
“Not to hurt our humble brethren is our first duty to them but to stop there is not enough. We have a higher mission — to be of service to them whenever they require it.” — St. Francis of Assisi.
Kindness is everything.
Is there any animal species that does not fall under the ruthless radar of humans who mistakenly believe they’ll live longer, healthier lives by exploiting them?
I hate the way the Chinese use and abuse animals. I have lost every ounce of respect i ever had for them as painters and ceramists.
Not every Chinese person believes in this crap.It’s mainly the communist in China that are not educated in science.The modern Chinese ,especially one’s outside of China do not buy into the snake oil.
Nancy Yeeting — Excuse me?? “It’s mainly the communist in China that are not educated in science.”
You’re actually blaming their lack of education as the reason that the screaming & suffering of the animals that they’re causing pain to are met with deaf ears & uncaring, unseeing eyes??? Now I’ve heard everything!!! It’s EDUCATION that causes caring & compassion!! Who knew!! Yes, they’re primitive in that they believe in their ridiculous snake oil …..but what I’m addressing is this —- snake oil or no snake oil, they are not happy unless tremendous pain & suffering is caused to the animals — cooking them alive in steel pots over wood fires, stripping the skin off of them alive, listening to the screaming of the dogs, cats & other poor animals without batting an eye. Sorry, but this has not a damn thing to do with people being educated or not. Obviously not even one compassionate cell in their bodies and not only that……it is condoned by their general public as they walk past these torturous events & consider it part of normal life. Education?? Gawd, you can’t be serious!!!
you are way too angry! what I said is that the Chinese in China that justifies animal tortures for medicinal are uneducated and misguided You do know that there are parts of China that are living in the past and had no schooling.Do you know the history of China?you know that most communist countries are brutal to their people and animals.The government like to oppress the people and therefore they take it out on the animals.stop taking everything I said as if I’m defending it.I’M NOT!!! I know you like to think that ALL Chinese are that way.I’m trying to tell you that we’re not! You are free to think that way though!
She has every right to be angry, and she is not alone. I’m sure not every chinese does this, but why don’t they stop it? Why do let it go on, knowing it is happening right under their nose? So yea, we are angry, and for you to try to sway us from thinking differently, makes you look like you condone it, shame on you
Nancy, you’re damn right I’m angry & every single person on the face of this earth should be just as angry that our domestic & wildlife are abused & killed this way! After all, I’m a devout animal advocate. And by defending their behaviour & making excuses for it, yes, as Patricia pointed out…..you ARE condoning it!! Every murderer has a good reason for killing someone & for the method they used. We All search for some kind of logic for our behaviour & try to justify it – but it doesn’t make it right or change anything. Making excuses & trying to reason why they have no hearts or souls does not help get it stopped. I cannot imagine living in this world without our beautiful animals – nor would I want to – but those zombies are decimating them at an alarming rate. And, OMG – who can overlook the suffering to the animals that they THRIVE on!! Even the murderer of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre put a fast end to all his victims even though he loved the blood & gore & the terror of the chase.
Our farmers put their livestock through terror, misery & tremendous pain — but we don’t walk on by & condone that here. We try to get it stopped everywhere we know it’s happening — that’s why most of us are members here on Lady Freethinker — we are making an effort to change it, not attempting to make rational excuses for it.
You took the words right out of my mouth, bravo to you, and thank you, I salute you, and if I could shake your hand, I would be so proud to, thank you for your honesty, I could not have said it better.
Patricia, thank you for your kind words of support! You also took the words right out of my mouth, as I was on my way back to say “You’re damn right I’m angry & every single person on the face of this earth should be just as angry that our domestic & wildlife are abused & killed this way!” In fact, I’ll post this part of my comment in reply to her & add a bit more. Thanks again, you made my day. ♥
Nancy Yeeting: Stop making excuses for the Chinese. They are barbarians. If they are not marching in the streets and protesting in other ways, they are condoning and enabling the carnage, sadistic practices and cruelty born of ignorance by their silence.
ANIMALS NEED THEIR RIGHTS. ANIMALS NEED HARSH AND CONSEQUENTIAL LAWS THAT PROTECT THEM FROM HUMANS. I AM ASKING THE WORLD TO KEEP SUPPORTING ALL HUMANITARIANS SO WE CAN ALL SEE AND EXPERIENCE A MUCH BETTER LIFE AND A BRIGHTER FUTURE FOR ANIMALS.
THANK YOU
Why can’t interlopers let a species survive?
Basta por favor!!!!!!!!!
Dear U.S. ambassadors in Vietnam, Malaysia, and Indonesia,
This issue needs to be addressed. Almost as unpalatable as poaching wild porcupines, porcupine farming is common in Southeast Asia. The animals are bred, kept in small enclosures, and slaughtered for their meat, spines, and bezoars. Some sources claim that wild porcupines produce more potent medicinal properties, putting populations at risk.
Farmers have also admitted to using wild porcupines as founder stock. In addition, poachers will sell wild porcupine meat at a cheaper price than farmed meat. These activities put pressure on wild populations, threatening the species.
Porcupines are not at the forefront of conservation news. Though there are laws in place offering varying levels of protection, most protections are minimal and enforcement is difficult to navigate among legal trade.
Conservationists fear that porcupines will follow the path of pangolins. Illegally traded in the millions, pangolins became critically endangered before real protections kicked in.
Giving them the status of threatened or endangered would increase legal protections and raise awareness. CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) has not designated the porcupine any protections for trade.
Please take action on this issue, which promises to become a potential extinction problem.
Thank you.
It’s so hard to keep comments friendly when animal abuse is so horrific
It’s so hard to keep comments friendly when animal abuse is so horrific
What next, spiders. Someone is making a hell of a lot of money from stupid senseless people who believe anything.
These Orientals are sooooo primitive in their thinking. They have destroyed a lot of animals all for the sake of what they describe as “medical miracles”. It is very clear that they are from the Neanderthal race of beings and clearly lack in compassion and respect for life. There are a small segment of their society who are truly civilized humans and do display emotions such as caring, compassion, etc. But they are outnumbered by the ancient and uncivilized populous who are hell-bent on being evil and hateful towards God’s animals.
Sheila T:
You are so right.
These primitive, brain dead people are completely destroying the Planet earth. Can someone wipe out this so called blood thirsty Chinese & other moronic vagabonds from the earth? I feel sick to my stomach when seeing such Horrific cruelty being done against poor animals by these scumbags.
The Chinese and Indonesians are sadistic, no question about it.
What would it be like for animals if the Chinese were humans?
This is wrong and cruel we need to save this beautiful animals
Let them live
STOP ANIMAL CRUELTY No Animal should suffer if you treat animals badly you show your children this is okay and we all know that serial killers treated animals badly as children and ended up mudering people so if you want a nation full of savages having no care for anything KEEP DOING WANT YOU ARE DOING…YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED…
Cats and dogs, porcupines and badgers, cows and pigs, horses and chickens, sea and freshwater inhabitants, bears and deer, rabbits and frogs, bulls elephants, mice and rats, all deserve to live their lives free of torture, experiments and murder at the hands of humans.
Much of herbal medicine is a bunch of BS.The herbal industry needs to be regulated.A lot of it are snake oil,preying on the uneducated masses.I know ,my father was an herbalist,and he’ll tell you that there’s no scientific prove.It’s about profiting off animals in the most inhumane and cruel ways, some to extinction!
Cats and dogs, porcupines and badgers, cows and pigs, horses and chickens, sea and freshwater inhabitants, bears and deer, rabbits and frogs, bulls elephants, mice and rats, all deserve to live their lives free of torture, experiments and murder at the hands of humans.
When will all this horror to animals END — and for what? — needless, failed medicines that DO NOT WORK.
This is ridiculous!
Most ignorant people on the planet with their hocus, pocus, antiquated belief that torturing, killing animals has some mystique medicinal value is honestly the dumbest fairy tale I have ever heard of. Rid the planet of these morons and it will be a much peaceful, safer planet for all animals, fish, birds, etc….
Why poor animals have to suffer at the hands of humans is beyond me.
Chinese people must be very stupid, cruel and gullible.
Chinese people must be very stupid, cruel and gullible.
Bloody Chinese traditional medicine has a lot to answer for.
China again
Poor voiceless animals r abused again!!! When will it ever stop!!!!
These low life pieces of shit Chinese koreans and all you Asian assholes shut them down for good burn all slaughterhouses and bomb there country who the fuck cares about them there useless heartless and have no feekings about anything I’m fucking tired with them and there barbaric ways there not human so get rid of all of them one by one fuck them die all of you
You should not judge all Asians to be the same,there are those of us who fight everyday to bring awareness and to stop the animal cruelty and tortures.I believe that asian countries are the worst with animals,but every country is guilty in their own way.Look in our own backyard and you will see the factory farm animals suffering every day living an unimaginable cruel existence.If only the factory farms had glass walls.nobody would want to eat the animals! we need to do something tangible to help the animals.
Nancy Yeeting — where exactly are you fighting every day to help stop the animal cruelty & tortures? We already know what goes on in our own backyard & it’s horrific, but I can tell you that the majority of the public doesn’t condone animal cruelty including to the livestock — that’s why most of the cruelty goes on inside barns. But Asians CONDONE this treatment to animals right out in public where they will hang a dog just so that its toes barely touch the ground to keep it still while they slowly skin it alive and people just walk on by & ignore it because it’s an everyday occurrence there & what they call normal life & treatment of animals. They slowly cook a dog or cat in a pot of water ignoring their screams of pain. Instead of lobbying against the cruelty of animals over in THIS country it might do more good to bang some sense into the heartless creeps over there who have not one ounce of compassion. Cruelty is not accepted by the general public in North America but yes, it still happens but it is actually commonplace to treat them with pain & torture in Asia — there is quite a big difference!! Toot your horn where it needs to do some good.
I agree with Nancy Yeeting.
Everyday ,I do CTA s on animal activist Facebook groups ,writing to our congress members to cosponsor or legislate animal right laws , signing petitions,contacting them through facebook,tweets,attend animal rights march,Rally against the DCMT ,anti fur rally,fund raise on a regular bases to groups that rescues animals from the dog meat trade.donate monthly.If you read what I said! I’m saying that not all Chinese are that way and that there are Asians who oppose the DCMT and that in America,we need to look at how our pigs are raised in crates then boiled alive.Like I said Asia is the most inhumane toward animals,but in America it’s hidden behind the factory farm walls.
Check out the Direct Action Everywhere website.They are exposing the animal abuses happening inside of the factory farms .At least in America we have some animal welfare laws (although ignored by most animal farmers) that we can hold them to.
There are no animal rights law in most of Asia,without laws in place for animals,it is difficult to stop what goes on there,Animal activist in China is growing and they believe that educating the youth will be the way to bring change.Boycotting products and not traveling to countries that abuse animals can be effective.
BOYCOTT this barbaric country. Affecting its bottom line is the only way to get China’s attention.
its about time this country is stop for what they are doing to animals. they are killing for there crap medicine, its not right that that they should be doing this, and nobody is stopping them. its about this hellhole country is stop
Now it’s porcupines! Asia will kill anything for profit. China- number one on the hit list. They are the worst in the world for animal suffering.
You Chinese people are somewhat sick, there is NO cure from any animals period, you guys need to have brain exam geez, leave those animals alone.
wake up and get real!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The Chinese also believe that to torture the dogs before slaughtering them makes the meat taste better..
I have the unfortunate luck of living next door to Chinese but I don’t have a choice because of discrimination
laws. I’m so worried that if my cat or dog gets out that they will catch them and slaughter them and eat them.
And there’s nothing I can do about it. They don’t even speak English so I can’t even reason with them because
they don’t understand. It is very scary.
Pat Winters, you have every reason to fear for your pets. There is not a rational brain cell in their heads & certainly not one that contains any compassion for suffering —- and take great enjoyment in actually causing the suffering. PLEASE keep your cat indoors at all times & NEVER let your dog out without being watched very carefully & keep it always on a rope or leash. Pets always go missing when those people move into a neighbourhood — cheap meat roaming around everywhere & I don’t doubt their freezers are full of them. Their sick culture dictates that this is acceptable. Nobody will ever know how their brains operate the way they do or what causes the deranged ideas they get..