NYC Pet Store Hit with $4 Million in Fines After Abusing and Selling Sick Puppies, New Study Finds One in Three LGBTQ Americans Faced Discrimination in the Past Year, Michigan Man Charged with Hate Crime after Attacking Group of Black Teens, Kind Postal Worker Helps Man Who Accidentally Cut Himself with Chainsaw, Cruel Reality Behind the Pet Trade of the Betta Fish, a Fish Often Marketed as an “Easy Starter Fish”. The scales of … Authorities have already shut down the Wuhan wet market, the suspected origin of the virus, since January 1. The horn is composed of keratin, one of the main components of our fingernails. In reality, pangolin scales are made of keratin, like rhino horn and our fingernails. Many have compared the effects of tiger bone to simply taking an aspirin. Some practitioners insist they no longer use animals in their products, but studies have revealed mislabeling is rampant and that products continue to be sold with animal parts. Which means that, China's Dog Meat Eaters Return Full Force For Yulin Festival: Appetite Persists Amid COVID-19 Pandemic, China Biodiversity Conservation and Green Development Foundation, UK Fears Coronavirus Might Have Actually Been Leaked From a China Lab. Seahorses are a fragile species and there is an increasing concern that they will not be able to sustain their populations at the current rate at which they’re being harvested. Here’s What you Need to Know, 10 Plant-Based Foods that Promote Healthier Cholesterol Levels, Sweet Photo of a Mama Cat Getting Adopted After Watching All Her Babies Leave Will Make You Smile, WTH!? Despite this, however, bear bile farms, tiger farms and the use of other endangered animal parts for medicinal value continue to be on the rise. While no scientific evidence exists for the efficacy of those practices, and they have no logical mechanism of action, their popularity still drives the black market for animal body parts, despite concerns about toxicity, transmission of diseases from animals to humans, and species extermination. Some of the animals used for TCM are killed by poachers while others are bred in captivity and housed in barbaric conditions for life. Pangolin meat has been consumed by China's elite with hopes of health or sexual benefits. This method of medicine differs vastly  from the Western medicine tradition that many of us have grown up with. Read Also: UK Fears Coronavirus Might Have Actually Been Leaked From a China Lab, Scientists Found the Gene Responsible for Signalling When to Urinate, A New Deep Learning System Emulates Movement of Macaque Monkeys, Virus Kills White-Tailed Deer, Hunters Offered Refunds, Peek A Boo! Led by Samsung and Apple: Is UWB The Next Big Smartphone Tech? The rare reptile has been in the spotlight since the coronavirus outbreak as studies suggest that it may be been a host and source of the virus alongside bats. For centuries, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has called on a number of animal and plant products to help treat and cure a number of common ailments. Dried seahorse is thought to treat impotence, abdominal pain, swelling, urinary incontinence and act as an aphrodisiac, but no reputable source has yet confirmed that any of these benefits exist. Bear bile is believed to help reduce inflammation, expel toxins, improve symptoms of conjunctivitis and hepatitis, and cure headaches. How the Fast Fashion Industry Destroys the Environment, Litter Box Tips and Tricks to Keep Your Kitties Happy, Whales and Dolphins Might Be The Smartest Animals, So You Want a Pet Wolf? Although the pangolin is eaten as a delicacy, it’s also believed to have medicinal value. It’s thought that the pangolin can enhance kidney function, cure asthma and improve signs of psoriasis. 'We need to be vigilant about so-called 'captive breeding' and medicinal research [related to pangolin] because some wrong findings could lead to the wrong policy decisions,' he continued. That would mean the sale and use pangolins and pangolin products would be allowed only under certain circumstances, such as scientific research, and would require approval by the national government, the law says. It’s not a total ban on the domestic trade in pangolin, which is what many advocates have been pushing for, but it could signal a significant change, both in the number of pangolins used and in the government’s approach to pangolin conservation, said Steve Given, the former associate dean of the American College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, in an email. Incredible Moment Former Puppy Mill Dog Got a Bath and Realized Everything Was About to Change, 15 Must-Make Vegan Sweet Potato Dinners That Are Perfect For Fall, Want to Try Baking With Spelt Flour? Pangolins, which look like scaly anteaters, are coveted for use in traditional Chinese medicine. International commercial trade in Asian pangolins was banned in 2000.