10 animals that are used in alternative medicine

Many species of animals that are endangered, disappearing, almost extinct, are constantly attacked by poachers who hunt them in order to obtain internal organs, skins and other parts of the body in alternative medicine.

Today, these species inhabiting our planet are on a very dangerous verge of extinction, this issue is especially acute if we take into account the information that at the moment they are going through the next phase of their extinction, a combination of factors, such as the destruction of their natural habitat , hunting, poaching, climate change and the introduction of alien species lead to the extinction of some animals.

Poaching - for obtaining resources, with their subsequent use in traditional medicine - is the main reason for the extermination of entire populations, a huge number of various endangered animal species.

10. Wild water buffalo (Asian buffalo)

Although water buffaloes (Bubalus bublis) are widely distributed in the world today, wild water buffaloes (Bubalus arnee), which are their ancestors, come under the protection of the International Union for Conservation of Nature as an endangered species. Domesticated water buffaloes are raised for meat, skins, horns, milk, and physical strength (in order to be further used for plowing fields). Although wild water buffaloes are protected by law, poachers continue to exterminate them due to the value of their body parts.

In Southeast Asia, especially China, the horns of these animals are used to make traditional Chinese medicines and are considered, in some circles, to be an alternative to rhino horns. This threatens the extermination of large numbers of wild buffaloes in South and Southeast Asia and complete extinction in countries such as Bangladesh, Laos and Vietnam.

9. Rhinos

Today, virtually every one of the five existing species of rhinoceros, including the Indian and White rhinoceroses, are endangered. One of the most important reasons for this kind of disaster was the demand for body parts of these animals, which are obtained by poaching. The point is that these “products are used in non-traditional medical practices. Despite the fact that there are studies proving that rhino horn contains only keratin (a substance that is part of human hair and nails), the use of rhino horns in traditional practices takes place. In the nineties, the Chinese authorities issued a decree that prescribed the withdrawal of a product such as rhino horn from pharmacology and prohibited their use for medical purposes.

This bore fruit; within a few years, the recovery of the rhino population began. Unfortunately, this encouraging situation did not last long. Soon, interest in rhino horns flared up in Vietnamese society. Against the background of the fact that a rumor was made public that with the help of a rhinoceros horn it is possible to cure liver cancer, when this information became widespread - and official confirmation, the poaching extermination of rhinos resumed with renewed vigor, and now this process has reached its climax.

8. Malay bear

Malay bear (Helarctors malayanus) - a victim of human greed and greed. These bears are raised in large numbers in China, Vietnam, South Korea, Myanmar and Laos for the bile that is extracted from the gall bladders of these animals. It is believed to be able to heal sore throat, gallstones, or hemorrhoids. Animal rights charities and wildlife lovers are sounding the alarm that no one is responsible for the cruel treatment of these fauna.

Throughout their lives, they are kept in very cramped cages, in which they often cannot straighten their backs. And the procedure for removing the gallbladder is carried out at a risk to the life of the animal, often in unsanitary conditions, and very often it is carried out by horsemen. Also, wild bears are constantly caught and killed because of the gallbladder.

7. Musk deer

Musk deer (musk deer) belongs to those 7 species of deer that belong to the Musk genus. These deer are well known for their glands, which produce a special sweet aroma - musk. For many years, they have been attacked by poachers precisely because of him. Musk is used in perfumery and traditional Chinese medicine. A large population of musk deer has actually been exterminated in Russia and Mongolia, the reason for this was the use of these animals for commercial purposes.

For more than 5,000 years, musk has been used to treat diseases of the nervous and circulatory systems, and it is also used in perfumery and as a powerful sedative. The high demand for it leads to the fact that from 17,000 to 20,000 musk deer are killed in Russia every year. All types of musk deer are currently under threat.

6. Biss

Despite the fact that such a species of sea turtles as the bisse (Eretmochelys imbricata) are widespread in different parts of the world, today they are under the protection of the organization that fights for animal rights (IUCN), there is a sharp decline in the population of this species, due to the extermination poachers - it happens because of their body parts.

The shell of these turtles is used to create travel souvenirs and other decorative trinkets. They also emit a special oil that is traditionally used in some areas of Southeast Asia. Also, many of these turtles lose their lives, as they fall into the nets as a by-catch. Although the trade in turtle organs is prohibited in most civilized countries, they still remain on the borderline between life and death, and the reason for this is human greed.

5. Grevy's Zebras

An endangered zebra, the Grevy's zebra (Equus grevyi) is the only current artiodactyl species found in the forests of Kenya and Ethiopia in Africa. From the end of the 90s to the beginning of the 21st century, their population has dropped critically from 15,000 to 3,500, the main reason for such a sharp decline in the number of these animals is poaching. Locals hunt zebras, thus making it difficult to find food, they use the pasture to walk their own livestock, thereby bringing their extinction closer.

Some ethnic zebra populations are being attacked by poachers for their valuable meat, skins and fat. The meat and fat of these zebras are often used by African healers to prepare medicines for tuberculosis. Dialogue, initiated in Kenya and Ethiopia, about the need to conserve these animals, has produced some results, and this has helped to some extent stabilize the decline in the zebra population.

4. Chinese alligators

Chinese alligators, endangered due to the constant hunt for them, for meat and organs, which are considered to be able to defeat the common cold or even cancer, these products are used in traditional Chinese medicine. These alligators are endemic to eastern China and today their small population in the wild is concentrated in this area.

However, a large number of alligators are kept in captivity, in nurseries, where they are also bred for commercial purposes. The nurseries sell alligator meat, use it as entertainment for tourists, and sell it in European markets.

3. Wild bulls

The wild bull is an endangered animal species traditionally found in Southeast Asia. Although the population of domestic bulls is quite large, the population of their wild cousins is 2000-5000. Over the years, they have been subjected to all sorts of attacks for meat and other body parts, like other species of wild animals in Southeast Asia, their body parts are very often used for the manufacture of medicines.

2. Chinese tigers

Asian tigers are undergoing a colossal loss in numbers. Each of the 8 species of tigers is at the edge of extinction, and in each of these species there are only a few thousand individuals living in the wild. While the main reason for their disappearance is the loss of natural habitat, poaching in order to get the body parts of the tiger is recognized as another important factor of concern. Each of these parts, be it bones, claws, skin or teeth, are used in the manufacture of alternative medicine, and they also have a special role in traditional Chinese medicine.

Local healers believe that medicines made from tiger body parts can cure a variety of ailments, including severe toothaches. Although modern research refutes this statement. In whatever environment these animals live, they are protected by law, but despite this, they become victims of poachers. The lust for profit and the usual human greed, as before, put tigers at risk of extinction.

1. Asian elephants

Unlike African elephants, only a few male Asian elephants have tusks. In theory, this could keep poachers out of their population. But, unfortunately, in reality the situation is diametrically opposite. Humanity continues to exterminate Asian elephants, poaching, hunting these animals for meat, skins and other body parts.

In Myanmar, a paste made from parts of the legs of these elephants is used in alternative medicine to treat hernia. Illegal hunting (poaching) of these animals, deterioration of living conditions in their natural habitat, degeneration of individuals, all this leads to the extermination of the elephant population, according to the Organization for the Protection of Animal Rights (IUCN), these elephants are recognized as an endangered species.