A real victory for tigers
In a key win in the battle to save wild tigers, The CITES convention on endangered species rejected a lifting of the 14-year ban on domestic trade in tiger parts in China.
“The international community has sent a clear message that the world cannot sacrifice the last wild tigers for the sake of a handful of wealthy tiger farm investors.”
The International Tiger Coalition said it commended delegates from four countries with wild tigers – India, Nepal, Bhutan and Russia – and the United States in standing firm on behalf of wild tiger conservation during a lengthy debate. The decision was adopted
by consensus, but not before China tried to soften the language.
Privately run “tiger farms” across China have bred nearly 5,000 captive tigers and are putting enormous pressure on the Chinese government to allow legal trade in tiger parts within China. They argue that their captive tigers will meet the demand of traditional
Chinese medicine (TCM) users for tiger-bone tonic wines and medicines.
“A lift of the ban would simply lead to an increase of demand for tiger parts and the ‘laundering’ of skins and parts from poached wild tigers.
“India and Nepal in particular have been heroic and spoken up strongly and passionately in defence of tigers and should be commended for their stance.”
Source: From a report by the EIA The Environmental Investigation Agency
http://www.eia-international.org/