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Price the Tiger to Extinction
Dear Editor,
Barun Mitra's suggestion that Asia's endangered tigers must either
pay their own way or perish (Sell the Tiger to Save It, August 15, 2006)
is both dangerous and misleading. If a century of wildlife conservation
has taught our species anything, it is that putting a price on the head
of an endangered animal hastens its march toward extinction. From the
slaughter of the great whales, to devastated elephant populations, to
the plight of the mighty tiger, the commercial market has proven more
threat than panacea. Undaunted, Mitra proposes that we "think of tigers
as products" and begin farming these thousand pound carnivores just as
we do sheep and goats. It is good that advocates for the bald eagle and
other recovering species in this country considered more than the market
for feathers. Mitra ultimately declares his stripes, noting that his
call for tiger farming follows an all expenses paid visit to China
courtesy of Chinese officials, who are lobbying heavily on behalf of a
few super rich tiger farmers, for the commoditization of China’s
wildlife. While these greedy farmers and investors may consider Mitra's
sympathetic New York Times clip a good value, serious conservationists
working to save wild tigers across Asia certainly won't buy it.
Grace Ge Gabriel
Asia Regional Director
IFAW-International Fund for Animal Welfare
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