Guangzhou municipal government of Guangdong Province is on high
alert to prevent rodents from the neighboring province of Hunan
ending up on the menus of its restaurants.
Information Times, a local newspaper, reported on
Saturday trucks loaded with field mice were seen arriving late at
night from Hunan and were headed for a market in the suburban
district of Baiyun.
About 2 billion field mice invaded 22 counties around the
Dongting Lake in Hunan after their holes were flooded earlier this
month, and about 2.3 million were killed.
He Huaxian, deputy director of Yueyang Disease Control Center in
Hunan, said the newspaper report was not true.
"It is difficult to catch rats alive and it is even more
difficult to catch them alive in such great numbers," He said.
Wang Fan, an official of the Guangzhou Food Safety Office, said:
"The market was inspected over the weekend, and no mice were
found.
"We will continue to keep a close watch on the market, and the
public will be kept informed."
Eating field mice is considered a delicacy in Guangdong
Province. It was banned in 2003 with the outbreak of SARS (severe
acute respiratory syndrome).
"The city government of Guangzhou has not lifted the ban against
the trading and eating of wild animals, including rats," Wang
said.
"Though we took immediate action, we did not find any field mice
from Hunan in the market exposed by the media over the weekend," an
official with the municipal industrial and commercial
administration's Baiyun branch, who identified himself with the
surname Zhang, told China Daily over the phone.
"We hope to get in touch with the very reporter as soon as
possible for more detailed information," he said.
(China Daily July 17, 2007)