(Health Times reporter Wei Chuannan) Is the white dolphin, a national first-class protected animal, listed as a medicinal animal?
Recently, conservation scholars questioned the document of the National Natural Science Foundation of China's Regional Innovation and Development Joint Fund 2020 Project Guidelines (Second Batch) published on the official website of the National Natural Science Foundation of China. The Chinese White Dolphin is listed as a medicinal animal on page 37. And hope to carry out medicinal research and cause industry controversy.
Health Times reporter noticed on the official website of the National Natural Science Foundation of China that this is the "Announcement on Issuing the National Natural Science Foundation Regional Innovation and Development Joint Fund 2020 Project Guidelines (Second Batch)" issued on April 1st. .
According to the project application guidelines issued at the same time in the circular, the National Natural Science Foundation of China and the local government jointly funded the establishment of the National Natural Science Foundation Regional Innovation and Development Joint Fund, which is an integral part of the National Natural Science Foundation. To attract and gather the country’s superior scientific research forces, focus on the major needs in regional economic and social development, carry out basic research and applied basic research on key scientific issues in regional development, and promote cross-regional and cross-sectoral collaborative innovation. Promote the improvement of my country's regional independent innovation capabilities". The applicant and the supporting unit apply according to the requirements and precautions stated in the project guide and notice. According to the introduction, the funding period for key support projects and integrated projects are both 4 years, and the average direct cost of key support projects is about 2.6 million yuan per project.
previously listed the Chinese White Dolphin as a rare medicinal marine animal, which is described in Article 5 of the second part of the "Environment and Ecology Field" in the third part of the third article on the development of marine resources in the Beibu Gulf.
On the morning of April 23, a reporter from the Health Times called the National Natural Science Foundation of China. The staff who answered the phone stated that they did not understand the situation. If you publish it, you can see it on the official account or official website. If you can't find it, it means it hasn't come out yet. A reporter from the
Health Times logged on the official website of the committee and noticed that the description of the medicinal research on white dolphins in the document has disappeared. Revise the expression "for white dolphins, Chinese horseshoe crabs and other Beibu Gulf characteristic medicinal marine animal resources" to "based on the Beibu Gulf characteristic medicinal marine animal resources".
White dolphins are classified as endangered, and being listed as a medicinal animal may exacerbate the endangered
Chinese white dolphin (Sousa chinensis) is a large marine mammal, known as "water giant panda" and "mermaid" in my country. The southeast coast is also called "Mazu fish". In the national key protected wildlife list, the Chinese white dolphin is listed as a national first-level protected wildlife, and in the "China Red List of Species", it is endangered.
If white dolphins are included in the characteristic medicinal marine animal resources, what impact will it have?
World Animal Protection Scientist Sun Quanhui told a reporter from the Health Times that the animals listed as national first-level protection often mean that the wild population of the species is low and the distribution range is small. If protection is not strengthened, these animals may be at risk of extinction. . He pointed out that the use of national key protected wild animals should be extremely cautious. If included in the category of medicinal use, it is likely to aggravate the wild capture and illegal trade of the species, as well as various animal welfare issues in the process of captive breeding.
"Take the Chinese pangolin, a national secondary protected wild animal, as an example. Due to the large demand for medicine and illegal consumption, the population of the only eight pangolins in the world in the past few years has experienced a sharp decline in wild populations and even partial extinction. This is for others. The national key protection list of wildlife protection and utilization has also issued a warning." Sun Quanhui reminded that the Chinese white dolphin is a national first-class protected animal, and it is at the same protection level as the giant panda and tiger. Due to accidental catch, shipping, water pollution, and reduction of food resources, the Chinese white dolphins urgently need to strengthen research and protection. In the absence of scientific evidence, the risk of including it as a medicinal animal may exacerbate the threat to its survival.
The China Biodiversity Conservation and Green Development Foundation (referred to as the China Green Development Council) also specifically called on this matter: my country's national second-level protected wild animal Chinese pangolin, because of its use as medicine and illegal consumption, caused all 3 genera and 8 species to appear Globally endangered, and the so-called domestication, breeding, and sustainable utilization in the country often result in repeated breeding and repeated deaths and repeated rescues.Death, the lesson is profound. The Chinese white dolphins should not be allowed to repeat the pangolin's mistakes. In the Chinese white dolphins, we cannot afford to waste it, nor can we confess to future generations.
Zhou Jinfeng, Secretary-General of the China Green Development Council, introduced that in recent years, due to frequent maritime traffic, coastal water pollution, food reduction, and tidal flat occupation and development, the wild living conditions of large marine mammals such as Chinese white dolphins have increased. The harder it gets, strandings and accidental deaths also occur frequently, and its population continues to decline. "There is currently no authoritative statistical data on the number of wild Chinese white dolphins. Relevant scientific researchers estimate that the global population of wild Chinese white dolphins should be less than 20,000, and there are about 4,000 in China."
Article 21 of Chapter III of the Animal Protection Law stipulates that hunting and killing of wildlife under national key protection is prohibited; Article 27 stipulates: It is prohibited to sell, buy, and use wild animals and their products under key national protection.
Zhou Jinfeng pointed out that in order to support the development of drug research, where do the samples come from? Accidental Death? Or hunt and kill? Regardless of the former or the latter, our laws have strict regulations on this. Regardless of the maturity of breeding and medicine research technology, based on the fact that the Chinese white dolphins are already very scarce and endangered in the wild population, protection and rescue are far more preferred than reproduction and utilization.
There is no pharmacological basis for white dolphins to be used as medicine, and traditional Chinese medicine does not promote the use of animals as medicine.
"Chinese white dolphins are used as medicine, and there is no pharmacological or pharmaceutical basis. Since the founding of the People’s Republic of China, there have been 9 editions of the Chinese Pharmacopoeia so far, in 2015 In the Chinese Pharmacopoeia, there is no relevant record about the use of white dolphins as medicine, and although there are records about Chinese white dolphins as early as the Tang Dynasty, along the coast of China, there is no empirical statement about the use of medicine." Zhou Jinfeng said According to a reporter from the Health Times, it is not only white dolphins, but also suggests that all endangered species should stop using them. Whether it is zoonotic diseases, harmony between man and nature, and biodiversity protection, these are all related to the overall health and safety of humans, and pharmacological research should never be started.
Sun Quanhui introduced that traditional Chinese medicine in history advocated "the unity of nature and man" and "respect for life, and did not advocate the use of animals as medicine. Just as the Tang Dynasty physician Sun Simiao said in "Great Doctor Sincerity", "The husband kills and survives to make a living. Far". In ancient times, some animal ingredients that were difficult to obtain, such as tiger bone, bear bile, musk, pangolin tablets, etc., were often not used as popular medicinal materials. Therefore, these medicinal materials were either not included in the traditional Chinese medicine prescriptions that have been passed down to this day. Either use herbs that have the same effects but are easier to obtain. "In other words, the scarcity of these wild animal medicinal materials is not because of their magical effects, but because they are not easily available. Therefore, although some ancient medical books include a small amount of prescriptions containing wild animal ingredients, this does not mean that they are essential. "
However, the efficacy of medicinal wild animals has been distorted and exaggerated by commerce, misleading many consumers. Driven by trade, a large number of wild animals are hunted or bred in captivity from the wild every year, which not only threatens the wild survival of endangered species, but also Caused serious abuse and harm to many wild animals.
Sun Quanhui pointed out that, from a global perspective, wild animal medicines do not account for a large proportion of traditional medicines in various places. The statistics of the latest survey on Chinese medicinal resources show that China’s There are 12,809 kinds of Chinese medicinal materials, including 11,146 kinds of plant medicinal materials, and there are only more than ten kinds of endangered wild animal medicinal materials.
In December 2019, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council issued the "Opinions on Promoting the Inheritance and Innovative Development of Traditional Chinese Medicine". It was proposed to strengthen the protection of rare and endangered wild medicinal animals and support the research, development and utilization of substitutes for rare and endangered Chinese medicinal materials. Sun Quanhui said, "Many herbs can completely replace the claimed effects of wild animal medicine. The practice of relying on wild resources or artificial breeding to obtain wild animal medicinal materials is becoming more and more difficult to sustain. This practice not only damages the reputation of traditional medicine, but is also not conducive to wildlife protection, and it is not in line with the trend and direction of modern medical development. "
suggested that research projects should strengthen scientific ethics review and revise relevant laws.
Zhou Jinfeng suggested that before the National Natural Science Foundation of China supports research projects, there should be scientific ethics review links from experts in different fields, in accordance with my country's laboratory animal welfare ethics review Guide, endangered animals can only be obtained and used in accordance with the law under extremely special circumstances. Any institution or individual that uses endangered wild animals for scientific research, Must comply with this regulation. If there is a corresponding scientific ethics review, this type of problem is not difficult to find.
On February 24, 2020, the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress made a decision on a total prohibition of illegal wildlife trade, elimination of the bad habits of overeating wildlife, and effective protection of the people's life, health and safety. Sun Quanhui reminded that, like eating wild animals, the use of wild animals as medicine also has serious public health safety risks. He suggested that when revising the "Wild Animal Protection Law", "Traditional Chinese Medicine Law," and other relevant laws, wild animals under national key protection should be prohibited from being used as medicine, and all drugs containing endangered wild animal ingredients should be deleted from the "Pharmacopoeia". Relevant departments also need to take effective measures to actively promote the protection of endangered medicinal wild animals and the transformation of related industries.
