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STRAITS TIMES (Singapore) 29 May 03 HK's snake merchants fear Sars may kill their livelihood
Hong Kong: Hong Kong's snake dealers are worried that a mainland Chinese anti-Sars crackdown on wildlife markets could spell doom for their industry by cutting off their slithering supplies.
Since researchers found the Sars virus in three types of game animals -- civet cats, raccoon dogs and badgers -- mainland Chinese officials have been raiding markets and seizing game animals, including snakes.
Chinese researchers believe the disease might be carried by snakes and bats, according to reports in mainland state-run media.
This could be bad news for those who run snake eateries and those who like snake on their menus or in their drink, as with the case of snake wine.
The Chinese view snake as a 'winter warming food' and some believe it is an aphrodisiac or has other medicinal qualities. It is usually served in soup. Snake season opens in October.
Snake specialists typically display their serpents live, coiled and hissing in cages. Nearly all of them come from the southern mainland province of Guangdong, where Sars is believed to have originated in November.
Severe acute respiratory syndrome has now sickened more than 8,200 people worldwide and killed about 750, with the biggest numbers in mainland China and Hong Kong.
A ban on China's snake trade would be disastrous for Hong Kong's 70-odd snake shops, merchant Ho Cheuk-hing told reporters.
http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/latest/story/0,4390,191778,00.html

NEWSDAY (Melville, New York) 29 May 03 SARS Troubles Hong Kong Snake Merchants (Min Lee)
Hong Kong (AP): Tucking into a lunch of slivered snake meat, Terry Yu said Thursday he enjoys the flavor and he's not scared of SARS.
"It smells good," said Yu, a marketing manager who relishes snake year round, though most locals prefer it in the cooler weather that begins around October.
But Hong Kong's snake dealers are worried that a mainland Chinese crackdown on wildlife markets full of wiggling serpents and other exotic species -- some potentially carrying the SARS virus -- could doom their industry by cutting off the supply.
That would be bad news for Yu and other snake lovers who frequent a traditional snake eatery operated by Chau Ka-ling -- dubbed the "Snake Queen" by Hong Kong media -- who inherited the business from her father.
Snake wine is also on offer at her restaurant, Shie Wong Hip, which is decorated with a stuffed cobra and clippings of old news photos that show Chau handling snakes she helped capture after they got loose in town.
The Chinese view snake as a "winter warming food," and some say eating snake also has aphrodisiac or medicinal benefits.
Snake specialists typically display their serpents live, coiled and hissing in cages. Nearly all of them come from the southern mainland province of Guangdong, where SARS is believed to have originated in November.
Severe acute respiratory syndrome has now sickened more than 8,200 people worldwide and killed about 750, with the biggest numbers in mainland China and Hong Kong.
After researchers found the SARS virus in three types of game animals -- civet cats, raccoon dogs and badgers -- mainland Chinese officials have been raiding markets and seizing game animals, including snakes. Chinese researchers believe the disease might also be carried by snakes and bats, according to reports in mainland state-run media.
Any ban on China's snake trade could spell disaster for Hong Kong's 70-odd snake shops, merchant Ho Cheuk-hing told The Associated Press by phone.
"Every snake shop will be put out of business," Ho said from his store, She Wong Lam, which translates into the "Snake King," a fairly standard name for such businesses in the former British colony.
Hong Kong dealers are convinced their imported snakes are free of the SARS virus. They insist snake is delicious and healthful. To keep snake consumption safe, they recommend that people eat the meat only after it's fully cooked.
"If anyone would get sick, we'd be the first," Chau said as hungry customers trickled into her shop for afternoon snake snacks.
"This stuff is good," said Law Sun-po, 32, sipping on some snake gall wine and declaring it better than beer.
An elderly lady, surnamed Miu, said she eats orange peel soaked in snake gall like cough drops. "Every time I my throat gets itchy, I take a bite or two," Miu said.
Worried Hong Kong snake dealers might be lucky the crackdown on wildlife markets came when it did, as summer is a traditionally slow time for the industry. Most snake dealers have sold their yearly supply, and some have closed for the season.
So they may have time to ride out the crisis, or seek out other suppliers if necessary.
But Ho said he'll have to "play it by ear" when the peak snake season begins in October.
http://www.newsday.com/news/health/wire/sns-ap-sars-virus-snakes,0,2075763.story?coll=sns-ap-health-headlines

This sounds like a good thing for the snakes.

BAKU TODAY (Azerbaijan) 14 June 03 SARS Scare Forces Changes in Beijing Restaurant Menus - Fear of the SARS virus means some snakes in China are ending up in the zoo instead of restaurant cooking pots. (VOA)
Ever since scientists warned that the deadly virus may come from wildlife, China's adventurous eaters have been shunning some traditional delicacies - and restaurant owners have had to jettison some excess ingredients.
Word has gotten around in China that Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome might come from contact with wildlife, so the Chinese, whose cuisine includes a wide array of animals, have turned away from some old favorites.
With no orders for snake dinners, a delicacy here, Beijing restaurants have been stuck with the expense of feeding snakes they cannot sell.
Some eateries secretly began releasing their excess snakes, which caused chaos when the snakes started appearing in people's cars and homes.
Since the middle of May, worried residents have been calling the Beijing Zoo's snake catchers to track the creatures down behind couches, in alleys, in trees, and elsewhere.
The zoo's deputy director, Zhang Jinhuo, says none of the snakes have been poisonous. He says a few have gotten away, but his experts have managed to catch 17 of them.
Mr. Zhang, stretching his arms as wide as he can, says some of the snakes are really long.
Zoo worker and snake-catcher Tien Tongqing has been raising snakes for 20 years.
Mr. Tien says snakes have qi or inner power, just like people. He says understanding qi helps him read a snake's mood, and he is able to catch it without much trouble.
He distracts the snake by waving his foot in front of its head. When it strikes at his shoe, he grabs the tail and gently wrestles the creature into a wire cage.
Most of the snakes found are Hei Mei Jin, or "striped racers." They are not dangerous, and live in China's hills, grasslands, and farms, Zoo officials say captured snakes go into quarantine for a few weeks to see if they are sick. They may end up on exhibit in the zoo's snake house, or they may be released back into the wild.
Snake is a Chinese delicacy, especially in the winter: the meat is said to warm the insides. Mr. Zhang, the zoo official, says he would never eat snake, and he thinks other people should not either.
Snakes eat mice and other pests and Mr. Zhang says they are friends - even if they frighten some people.
SARS Scare Forces Changes in Beijing Restaurant Menus