Endangered species conservation and Viagra

A paper in the journal Environmental Conservation by Bill von Hippel from the University of New South Wales (UNSW) and Frank Von Hippel from University of Alaska, Anchorage, indicates that Chinese men are switching from traditional Chinese medicine remedies to the drug Viagra to treat erectile dysfunction. Chinese traditional medicines use products from endangered animals. The study was based on men attending a large traditional Chinese medicine clinic in Hong Kong. Von Heppel says, “ Despite their history of using traditional medicines and their alleged suspicions of Western medicine, the men we interviewed chose the product that works best”. The Hippel brothers contend that this switch to modern medicine is helping endangered species, as the demand for animal products are going down. But conservationists are not convinced. Glenn Sant, Director TRAFFIC Oceana is of the opinion that endangered animal products are utilized for a wide range of medicines apart from treatment of impotence. So this interpolation cannot stand the scrutiny.