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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.