GUANGZHOU: Guangdong's appetite for exotic dishes makes it an ideal market for wild animal smugglers, experts said.

About 2.8 percent of Chinese people regularly eat wild animals. In Guangdong, that figure climbs to 4.1 percent, according to a survey by the China Association of Wild Animal Protection.

Guangdong residents often eat snakes, tortoises and bears' paws. Few statistics are available on how many wild animals are eaten in Guangdong every year, but the most recent case of wild animal smuggling helps create a rough picture of how big the market is, officials at the Guangdong wild animals and plants protection center said.