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A Chinese zoo has sparked a social media storm after it started selling tiger urine, claiming its “medicinal properties” could treat rheumatism.
A visitor to the Yaan Bifengxia Wildlife Zoo, situated in the southwestern Sichuan province, shared a post on social media saying the facility was selling “medicinal tiger urine” allegedly from Siberian tigers.
A 250gm-bottle of the liquid cost about 50 yuan (£5.54). According to the South China Morning Post, the zoo recommended the fluid be mixed with white wine and applied to the affected areas, along with slices of ginger. It had a “good therapeutic effect” on ailments like rheumatoid arthritis, sprains, and muscle pain, it claimed.
Customers were told the concoction was safe for oral consumption but should no longer be used if they experienced any allergic reactions.
Speaking to Chinese media outlet The Paper, the zoo said the urine was collected directly from a basin the tigers urinated in but did not clarify if any disinfection procedures were followed.
The staff insisted the concoction fulfilled the necessary qualifications to be labelled “medicinal” and could be sold as long as they had a business licence with operating permission.
They said the sales were average, with no more than two bottles sold per day.
“I bought some for my dad out of curiosity, but have not seen any effect, so it is just sitting there,” a visitor to the zoo commented, according to the SCMP.
“I am thinking of buying a bottle for my mum. No side effects, so I thought I would give it a try,” said another.
Though the staff were unable to confirm how long the urine had been sold for, The Paper was able to track down reports stating the zoo had given away the Siberian tiger urine in 2014 as a prize to celebrity winners of an outdoor reality show.
An expert in traditional Chinese medicine, asking to stay anonymous, said tiger urine had no proven therapeutic benefit and was not recognised as traditional medicine, according to The Global Times.
This is not the first time a zoo in China has come under fire for selling tiger urine. In 2004, SCMP found that several zoos in the Chongqing province were blowing whistles and keeping water taps near tiger cages dripping to ensure a steady supply of urine.
“So far as I know, no medical works have mentioned the medicinal value of tiger urine,” Wu Lihong, a researcher at the Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Pharmacology, said at the time.
“The health of the tigers might also be damaged by those freakish urine-collecting methods.”
He also warned that chemical residue in tiger urine could cause health problems.
