What is the market prospect for masked palm civet farming?
The masked palm civet is a rare "mountain delicacy" with a long history in our country, and has long been praised with the saying "the masked palm civet is the delicacy of the mountains, the white eel is the delicacy of the waters." Its meat is a first-class delicacy. Because the number of wild masked palm civets has dropped sharply, many people have only heard of them by name, and very few are able to taste their meat. It is reported that masked palm civets are in short supply and high in price on markets at home and abroad: the price in Los Angeles, USA, is 50 US dollars/kg, the price on the Hong Kong, China market is 200 Hong Kong dollars/kg, the price in the Guangzhou and Shenzhen markets is 120-200 yuan/kg, and the price of breeding civets is 2500-4000 yuan/pair.
The masked palm civet is a fur-bearing animal, and its skin can be made into fur garments; it is one of our country's traditional bulk export furs. The guard hairs of the masked palm civet are the raw material for making high-grade calligraphy brushes and paintbrushes. The fat of the masked palm civet is a rare high-grade raw material in cosmetics production, and is also a good medicine for treating burns. The tail of the masked palm civet is almost longer than its body, and more than 50 tendons can be drawn from each tail; after processing, they can replace surgical catgut, and after processing each tendon can sell for 15 yuan, so 1 tail is worth 800 yuan. After deep processing, 1 adult masked palm civet can generate an output value of about 2000 yuan.
The reproductive rate of the masked palm civet is not very high. Under wild conditions it produces 1 litter per year, with 2-4 young per litter, while under artificial breeding it can produce 2 litters per year. Therefore, it is not easy for the market to become saturated, and it will be very difficult to meet the growing market demand in a short period.
Artificial breeding of the masked palm civet has just emerged in China, and combined with the strong market vitality, competitiveness and appeal that the masked palm civet itself possesses, it has opened up a highly dynamic new path for specialty-raised animals.