From bird legs to monkey brains, wild animals in the south of China, especially in Guangdong and adjacent provinces and regions, have gruesomely fallen prey, on the dining tables, to avid human beings.

According to Legal Daily, a Chinese-language newspaper, in Guangdong province alone more than 50 species of wildlife, including civet cats, foxes, raccoons, and turtles, are on the menu. Many of the species, such as pangolins and many rare birds, are near extinction and should enjoy State protection.

After the outbreak of SARS in 2003, many people refused to eat exotic animals for fear of catching diseases, as scientists traced the virus that causes severe acute respiratory syndrome to civet cats.