Pangolin use in TCM unacceptable, say most Hong Kong people in Chinese medicine survey
- Two-thirds of people in a recent survey by the University of Hong Kong and WildAid were against the use of pangolins in traditional Chinese medicine
- 85 per cent agreed that TCM should phase out the use of endangered species while promoting sustainable and herbal alternatives
But while TCM continues to play an integral role in how illness in the city is treated, a new survey shows just how far public opinion has shifted concerning what ingredients are acceptable. Endangered wildlife, including endangered pangolins, are overwhelmingly not.
Conducted by the University of Hong Kong and global conservation organisation WildAid, the survey found two-thirds (67 per cent) of 1,000 people interviewed considered the use of pangolins in TCM to be unacceptable.
It doesn’t end with the scaly anteaters: some 96 per cent of those surveyed agreed that “endangered animal species should be protected”, while 85 per cent agreed that “Chinese medicine should phase out the use of endangered wildlife species while promoting sustainable and herbal alternatives”.
A high proportion (85 per cent) also said that Hong Kong laws banning the use of endangered wildlife species in TCM need stricter enforcement.
