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=Issues and Background Information=

Issues
SASAP will be focusing on the endangered species of China, specifically dealing with animal farms and black market trade. While doing this we will also educate the people in our local community about the issue. Black market trade and animal farms are an important issue because they are causes of poor treatment towards animals and contribute to the ever increasing endangerment of certain animals in China.

Background Information
Black market trade is the act of illegally selling animals, dead or alive, for //a lot// of money. The animals sold alive are eventually killed because they are mainly used in Chinese restaurants who serve them as delicacies. The ones sold dead probably have the body parts already seperated to also be sold as food. For instance, tiger paw is very expensive and a rare and treasure item on the black markets. Fur from the animals is also sold. A full body fur can be sold for up to 100,000 RMB or a little less than 13,500 USD. Not all animals on the black market are actually coming from China though, they are brought in from many other southeast Asian countries like Burma or Malaysia. Organized criminal gangs smuggle the animals in to China and they are hard to stop because they are so heavily armed. Black markets are in fact illegal in China but the Chinese government has yet to strongly enough enforce those laws. Animals farms are horrible places where animals are kept captive in harsh living spaces. At the animal farms animals are skinned alive after having been beaten. This is an extremely painful and inhumane process and the animals will die after. Animal farms are also used to get things such as bear bile which is used in Chinese medicine. Bear bile comes from the bear's stomach and is taken out by sticking a thick metal pole into the bear's stomach. The bears are kept in small uncomfortable cages. Animal farms should be gone and the animals need to be able to have better lives.