Tiger-bone liquor allegedly at Chinese zoo

SHENYANG, China, March 17 (UPI) -- Tiger-keepers in a Chinese zoo allegedly have been making and serving tiger-bone liquor from dead animals, an anonymous official said.

The liquor-making is an "open secret" at the Shenyang Forest Wild Animal Zoo in Liaoning Province, China Daily reported Wednesday.

Since 2000, nearly 50 tigers have died at the zoo, 13 of them in the last three months. Each of the dead animals requires refrigeration, as the zoo is charged with keeping the skin and bones. The storage costs the zoo hundreds of dollars per month in electricity, China Daily said.

The zoo regulations do not specify what department is responsible for the remains, and so they are kept by the tiger keepers, who apparently started making the liquor in 2005, China Daily reported.

"I myself have also drunk the tiger-bone liquor," China Daily quoted an unidentified person "in charge of the zoo" as saying.

"Only sales to the public were not allowed," said another source, adding that other departments were aware of the practice, but did not object to it.