Making Booze with Rare Animals Sends Man to Prison
Some drinkers in Southeast Asia prefer their alcohol distilled with animal parts, a tradition stemming from the supposed curative powers the creatures provide. Chinese media report that a liquor manufacturer in Guangdong Province hoped to capitalise on the custom by selling bottles of alcohol stuffed with parts of rare species such as the common water lizard, crow pheasant, and Tokay gecko. Snake wine, made by drowning a live snake in alcohol, can also be found in Southeast Asia, as can wine steeped with the bones of tigers. Neither of these has proven medicinal value. It is illegal in China to hunt, kill, or trade protected animals. Last January police busted a manufacturer and confiscated 24 bottles of animal-distilled alcohol. He's been fined 50,000 Yuan ($7,690) and sentenced to nearly 11 years in prison.
Some drinkers in Southeast Asia prefer their alcohol distilled with animal parts, a tradition stemming from the supposed curative powers the creatures provide. Chinese media report that a liquor manufacturer in Guangdong Province hoped to capitalise on the custom by selling bottles of alcohol stuffed with parts of rare species such as the common water lizard, crow pheasant, and Tokay gecko. Snake wine, made by drowning a live snake in alcohol, can also be found in Southeast Asia, as can wine steeped with the bones of tigers. Neither of these has proven medicinal value. It is illegal in China to hunt, kill, or trade protected animals. Last January police busted a manufacturer and confiscated 24 bottles of animal-distilled alcohol. He's been fined 50,000 Yuan ($7,690) and sentenced to nearly 11 years in prison.