Frequently Asked Questions About Tiger Trade and Trafficking
Tigers in the Wild
 Q: Why are
wild tigers in crisis?
A: With three tiger subspecies already extinct and
perhaps fewer than 5,000 left in the wild across Asia, tigers have begun
disappearing from their last strongholds due to poachers and smuggling
rings looking to profit from illicit trade in skins and bones used as
clothing, décor and traditional medicine.
Q: Why do wild tigers matter?
A: Tigers are a majestic symbol of wildness, but are
also emblematic of environmental health. When wild tigers have the food
and shelter they need to survive and thrive, the ecosystems they inhabit
sustain the water, air and forests that humans and other species also
need to survive and thrive.
Q: Aren't conservationists putting the tiger's
welfare above human development and welfare?
A: Not at all. Use of tiger parts is not essential to
human welfare. However, protecting wild tigers requires protection of
the natural resources people need. Furthermore, tigers in the wild
attract a growing number of tourists interested in nature, and bring
economic opportunities for communities living in and around tiger
habitat.
Use of Tiger Parts
 Q: What are
tiger skins and bones used for?
A: As wealth increases, the demand for skins and bones
increases. Skins are used for rugs, wall hangings and, in some cultures,
clothing worn in certain cultural festivals and ceremonies. Tiger bones
are one of the substances that traditional Asian medicine practitioners
sometimes use to treat arthritis, rheumatic pain, and a range of other
conditions.
Q: Don't people have a right to traditional
medicines?
A: Traditional medicine is a viable option for many
people. However, its use should not jeopardize the survival of wild
tigers. Practitioners of traditional medicine embrace a cornucopia of
alternatives, and no human lives will be lost without tiger-bone
medicine. If consumption of tiger parts persists, an entire species may
be lost in the wild forever.
Q: Don't people have a right to wear traditional
costumes?
A: People certainly have a right to wear traditional
costumes, but recent surveys show that use of tiger-skin costumes is not
an old tradition for more than a few people. Among users, many do not
know tigers are killed to make their costumes. When they are told, many
no longer wish to use them.
Tiger Farming
 Q: With the
success of captive breeding, why not sell parts from farmed
tigers?
A: Trade of tiger parts of any sort will increase the
demand for tiger parts. With so few tigers left in the wild, any
increase in demand will be fatal to the last remaining wild tigers.
Because bones from farmed tigers cannot be distinguished from bones of
wild tigers, bones from poached tigers could easily be sold as farmed
bones. Even limited legal trade will confuse consumers and expand
opportunities for illegal trade.
Q: Why not breed tigers on farms and then
reintroduce them to the wild, as has been done with other
species?
A: Once tiger habitat is gone, it will be costly if not
impossible to restore. Besides, tigers fed by humans are inclined to
continue to seek food from humans, leading to grave danger for humans
and tigers alike. True tiger conservation requires saving not just
tigers, but the complex web of plant and animal life in the tiger's
habitats.
Q: Does this mean tigers should not even be kept
in zoos?
A: Modern zoo breeding programs do have conservation
value, in terms of saving the tiger species and educating the public
about the value of wild tigers. Licensed zoos? conservation breeding
protects the tiger's gene pool.
Fighting Crimes Against Tigers
 Q: Is organized crime
involved in tiger trafficking?
A: The illegal trade in tiger parts is organized at all
levels, just as it is for other illicit goods, such as weapons and
drugs.
Q: How can the illegal trade in tiger parts be
stopped?
A: An organized response is needed to stop this
organized crime. Save the Tiger Fund's Campaign Against Tiger
Trafficking (CATT) aims to build, inform and support alliances of
conservationists, governments, traditional medicine users and religious
groups to stop trade in tiger parts and the criminals who are robbing
the world of its last wild tigers and destroying their priceless forest
habitats.
|
