Good luck charms, anti-evil eyes, magical, pharmacological, aphrodisiac powers: there are many popular, ancient and modern beliefs on the alleged benefits brought by animal products or parts of them and spread throughout the world, including Italy.
But the effects they have on many wild species are unfortunately serious, often bringing them to the brink of extinction.
The alarm comes from WWF and Cicap (Italian Committee for the Control of Claims on Pseudosciences) in view of World Wildlife Day, March 3, the WorldWildlife Day promoted internationally by the United Nations to celebrate the planet's wild fauna and flora and raise awareness of the their fundamental role for our survival.
For this occasion, the two associations have anticipated a report entitled "The misfortune is to make them extinct" created for the Anti Superstition Day, which will occur on Friday 17 May and drawn up a map of the species at risk.
Among the uses of species linked to superstitions and ancient and modern traditions, in first place is traditional oriental medicine, especially China but also Vietnam, Japan, Thailand, which still supplies itself with animal parts such as the bile of moon bears, bones, skins and other parts of the tiger, rhino horn (especially in Vietnam), the skin of the African wild ass, dried and/or powdered seahorse.
The tiger, despite some recent signs of recovery, such as in Bhutan and Russia, is still at risk of extinction and considered threatened by the IUCN Red List.
The number of individuals potentially capable of reproducing is estimated to be between 20 and 200 of the African wild ass and is considered in critical danger of extinction.
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