Some zoos in Chongqing are marketing tiger urine for human consumption at 15 yuan for 250 millilitres.
In Chongqing, some people believe the urine of male tigers has magical powers, including improving sexual performance and curing rheumatism.
To obtain enough supplies for the local market, zoologists blow whistles and keep water taps near the tigers' cages dripping, according to the Shanghai Morning Post.
The zoologists have even devised a way of collecting the urine where they make the tigers wear super-sized condoms.
'Demand for tiger urine is strong and 40 male Bengal tigers in my zoo could no longer satisfy local needs,' Zhang Li , a breeder working for the Chongqing Zoo was quoted saying.
Tiger urine could be drunk directly or mixed with alcohol, he said.
However, Wu Lihong , a researcher with the Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Pharmacology, warned that the chemical residue contained in tiger urine could damage people's health, while drinking it might spread disease.
'So far as I know, no medical works have mentioned the medicinal value of tiger urine,' Dr Wu said.
'The health of the tigers might also be damaged by those freakish urine-collecting methods.'
On the mainland, some people also believe human urine is a beneficial drink.
In May, for example, a teacher with a primary school in Chongqing distributed 120 small bottles and asked children to urinate in them.
The teacher, a martial arts devotee, said he wanted to make a medicine by mixing the urine with alcohol and vinegar to strengthen his powers at kung fu. After outraged parents complained to the school, local authorities told the teacher to dispose of the mixture and issue an apology.
In some cities in Zhejiang , eggs boiled in young boys' urine have become popular gifts. To collect urine from the boys, people were found queuing in front of toilets in primary schools, with bottles or basins in their hands.
