Bora Bora

The Han Chinese, descendents of the dragon, are increasing in number and affluence. They are, therefore, a force to be reckoned with on many levels. They may bring about the end of world wildlife as we know it. This statement is not farfetched. The decimation of tiger, rhino, and elephant populations from poaching is all too real. This is mostly due to demand from Asian markets for traditional medicines and highly prized ivory carvings. The Chinese are not the only offenders, but they are the biggest. And these are not the only species in harm's way.

Bears have been hunted since time immemorial for their gallbladders, used in traditional Eastern medicine, again mostly in China. When wild populations were decimated, bear farming began. Thousands of bears are now kept their entire lives in cramped cages and milked twice a day for their bile with indwelling gallbladder catheters. This atrocity has not stopped the hunting for the few wild bears that remain. That won't stop until there are NO bears. And bear bile has no proven medicinal value!

Millions of seahorses are harvested from the wild each year, hung out to dry, then sold in China as treatment for whatever ails their expanding middle class. The preposterous claims for cures have no basis in medical science.

An estimated 150 million sharks are slaughtered each year to make fin soup in China, Hong Kong, and Singapore. No surprise, wild shark populations are plummeting. They are caught and their dorsal fins excised. The shark is then tossed back into the sea, unable to swim, to die a slow death from starvation. The nutritional value of shark fin is zilch and the soup's flavor comes from seasoning.

And the list of endangered species grows longer!

A harmless black tipped reef shark is pictured above. Shark attacks are extremely rare and sensationalized by television, movies, and media. As humans increase in number it is impossible for the earth to crack, the wind to blow, or a shark to hunt without encountering a person close by, who then gets hurt. And guess who's around to tell everyone about it?

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The Han Chinese, descendents of the dragon, are increasing in number and affluence. They are, therefore, a force to be reckoned with on many levels. They may bring about the end of world wildlife as we know it. This statement is not farfetched. The decimation of tiger, rhino, and elephant populations from poaching is all too real. This is mostly due to demand from Asian markets for traditional medicines and highly prized ivory carvings. The Chinese are not the only offenders, but they are the biggest. And these are not the only species in harm's way. Bears have been hunted since time immemorial for their gallbladders, used in traditional Eastern medicine, again mostly in China. When wild populations were decimated, bear farming began. Thousands of bears are now kept their entire lives in cramped cages and milked twice a day for their bile with indwelling gallbladder catheters. This atrocity has not stopped the hunting for the few wild bears that remain. That won't stop until there are NO bears. And bear bile has no proven medicinal value! Millions of seahorses are harvested from the wild each year, hung out to dry, then sold in China as treatment for whatever ails their expanding middle class. The preposterous claims for cures have no basis in medical science. An estimated 150 million sharks are slaughtered each year to make fin soup in China, Hong Kong, and Singapore. No surprise, wild shark populations are plummeting. They are caught and their dorsal fins excised. The shark is then tossed back into the sea, unable to swim, to die a slow death from starvation. The nutritional value of shark fin is zilch and the soup's flavor comes from seasoning. And the list of endangered species grows longer! A harmless black tipped reef shark is pictured above. Shark attacks are extremely rare and sensationalized by television, movies, and media. As humans increase in number it is impossible for the earth to crack, the wind to blow, or a shark to hunt without encountering a person close by, who then gets hurt. And guess who's around to tell everyone about it?

© Danny Kimberlin 2015