Abstract
The chapter of this article is situated in light of the illegal transaction of protected wildlife in China for consumption as a delicacy. In trusting the suppliers to deliver the protected wildlife they ordered, consumers face two types of risks: (a) the risk of enforcement (facing a maximum of ten years’ imprisonment) and/or (b) the risk of being cheated of their money. This chapter focuses on the second question. The consumption of protected wildlife occurs in designated restaurants, so how do consumers know for certain that the restaurants are serving the protected wildlife they ordered? Given the difficulties in distinguishing between the flavour of protected wildlife and legitimate sources of meat (this point will be elaborated on later in the chapter), what are the mechanisms that help consumers of protected wildlife trust that the restaurant is honouring their agreement? Based on qualitative interviews with consumers and suppliers of protected wildlife in China and open sources, this study concludes that consumers rely heavily on the reputation of the restaurant.
Portions of this chapter are based on my article published in Deviant Behaviour. The original piece is Wong, R. W. Y. (2016). The Role of Reputation in the Illegal Purchase of Protected Wildlife in China. Deviant Behavior, 38(11), 1290–1302. https://doi.org/10.1080/01639625.2016.1248716.
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Wong, R.W.Y. (2019). Consumption of Protected Wildlife as Delicacy. In: The Illegal Wildlife Trade in China. Palgrave Studies in Green Criminology. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-13666-6_7
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