The use of snakes in “stamina booster” concoctions has increased nine fold in the past two years, due to celebrities’ testimonies and a growing “health craze,” the Ministry of the Environment said Monday.
According to a report given to Rep. Cha Myeong-jin of the Grand National Party by the ministry, the number of snakes dealt through poachers caught by police was 1,834 last year, compared to 205 in 2007 and 452 in 2008.
“Conventionally, large mammals such as wild boars or elks were popular with poachers but for the past several years, the portion of snakes has swelled,” a ministry official said.
The authorities suspect sports stars and other celebrities’ praise and confessions of having eaten such animals to boost their stamina – which is widely considered an urban myth – has been attributed to the new trend.
The authorities have stressed that eating or distributing snake meat is illegal and subject to up to 5 million won in fines or imprisonment for up to one year. Those who poach wildlife are subject to up to two years in jail or a 10 million won fine.
The poaching has become systemized, Cha claimed. The number of poachers caught in 2009 was 812, slightly fewer than the 940 in 2008 and 910 in 2007.
But the number of animals found rose from 3.93 per person in 2007 to 5.02 in 2008 and 10.19 in 2009.
The number of traps and snares confiscated rose to 26,982 in 2009 from 11,348 in 2007 and 9,843 in 2008.
“We need a thorough investigation into the businesses that damages our wildlife environment,” Rep. Cha said.
The ministry is conducting a crackdown on snake meat distributors and poachers until July 15.
Bills against animal abuse
In the meantime, ruling and opposition party members are moving to revise laws governing animal abuse.
Rep. Bae Eun-hee of the ruling Grand National Party submitted an amendment to the Animal Protection Law, Monday. The revision bans the posting of video clips or photographs showing animal abuse on the Internet, with violators being fined up to 1 million won.
Lawmakers are also moving to propose other bills to prevent other types of animal abuse. Their move comes after a woman was booked on suspicion of having savagely beaten and thrown a neighbor’s cat from the 10th floor of her officetel last month.