A DELICACY?: Mice are seen as a delicacy by some and believed to be nutritious.

Truckloads of field mice from Hunan were seen arriving in Guangzhou by night and the mice were being sold to an underground wild animal market in Baiyun district, reported the Guangzhou-based Information Times.

The newspaper said Guangzhou has become an underground distribution centre for the trade.

During the Sars epidemic, which began in southern China in 2003, the authorities banned the sale of many wild animals including mice amid fear that the deadly disease could be contracted from contaminated meat.

Although the scientific community is not in agreement over whether certain animals can spread the disease, vendors in China are no longer allowed to sell wild animals.

But Hunan province has been overrun by two billion field mice driven from their nests by floodwaters and many merchants spotted a business opportunity.

Mice dealers from Hunan reportedly told a reporter from Information Times that the mice were sold for between 40 and 50 yuan (S$8 to S$10) each.

The report said that before the floods in Hunan, mice were sold at most three times a week.

'Now, in one animal market alone, about 300kg of mice was sold every day,' the Post reported.

The meat could be found on restaurant menus in other cities in Guangdong, such as Shaoqing, Panyu, Nanhai and Dongguan.

Mice were traditionally regarded by many in Guangdong as a delicacy, according to the South China Morning Post. The meat is believed to be more nutritious than pork and chicken, and many locals believe it could boost one's sex drive.

Hong Kong-based Lo Wing Lok, a specialist in infectious diseases, told the Post: 'It is a superstition to believe it is good for your health.

'We should learn the lesson from the outbreak of Sars. The virus was confirmed as coming from civet cats and other wild animals, including mice.'

Sing Tao Daily reported that it could even be deadly to consume the animals as officials and residents in Hunan had used large amounts of pesticides to kill the mice.

Officials in Hunan, however, have denied the reports.

The rodents, whose natural habitats were submerged by the rising tide from heavy summer rains, had migrated in huge numbers to dry land.

Mr Zuo Shigeng, a local agricultural official, said a dry first half of the year before the recent summer deluge had given the rats space and time to multiply in epic proportions.

'It is the largest rat disaster the lakeside region has experienced in the last 10 years,' he told China Daily.

The annual flooding season killed more than 400 people and left at least 100 missing.

State media said some 10 million people have been affected by the rainstorms and that more rains are forecast in the coming days.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, REUTERS