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Big cat skin trade still alive in China
Snow leopards and Tigers: two evocative icons of the struggle against extinction faced by many of our planet's animals: The ever advancing spread of human influence, soon to be joined by global warming, is helping to destroy their habitat.
As if that weren't enough however, the people who should be protecting them the most are still actively hunting and killing critically endangered big cats for their skins.
According to the Telegraph, "buyers come from all over China to purchase the skins which are marketed as rugs or taxidermy specimens."
The Environmental Investigation Agency reported 13 skins of leopard and snow leopard, as well as an entire Tiger skin in less than a week, in a single street in June 2008.
This shocking report shows that the trade in skins in China is still rampant, despite measures by the government to crack down on the demand for the products, particularly in Tibetan communities. Snow leopards and Tigers: two evocative icons of the struggle against extinction faced by many of our planet's animals: The ever advan... more -
Wild Tigers released in India
Two wild Tigers: a male and a female, have been captured and flown to a wildlife park in Rajasthan, India. It is hoped that the two will breed succesfully, and provide a much needed boost to the wild Tiger poulation, which numbers only some 1400. As wildlife officals said: "it is now up to the two cats to play their part."
Such a relocation has not been attempted in India for 70 years, and if successful, officials plan to move other Tiger pairs in the near future. Two wild Tigers: a male and a female, have been captured and flown to a wildlife park in Rajasthan, India. It is hoped that the two wi... more -
Fake tiger shows impact of public opinion in China
It all started with a farmer, a photo and a claim - a sighting of a rare tiger in the local woods, curled up and staring right at the camera. A man claimed a reward for snapping this digital photo - which proved to be faked - of a rare South China tiger.
Ultimately, the scandal revealed popular disgust with government and corruption and showed that public opinion, amplified by the Internet, can occasionally win out in authoritarian China.
"In my opinion, this is the struggle between the truth and government interest," Yu Hai, a sociology professor at Fudan University, said in a phone interview this week. "Zhou's just a normal farmer who was inspired by money. The big boss behind this is, of course, the officials of Shaanxi province."
First intrigued and then outraged by the photo, China's online community quickly exposed it as a paper tiger - an old poster propped up among the trees - and kept the pressure on officials, accusing them of supporting the fake to boost tourism in relatively poor Shaanxi.
The deep skepticism among Chinese toward the government, especially local officials, was also made clear over the weekend, when thousands rioted in the southwestern province of Guizhou over the accusation that police poorly investigated the death of a teenage girl.
Online outrage has kept up pressure on the government, which this week fired the local Communist Party secretary, county government head, police chief and another official.
A year ago, online anger also pushed the central government to investigate illegal labor practices after postings accused authorities of ignoring the use of child slaves in brick factories.
The tiger story began when Zhou, a 54-year-old farmer and hunter, heard that a person could win more than 1 million yuan (about US$146,000) for finding an endangered South China tiger in the wild, where it hadn't been seen in more than 20 years, according to state media accounts.
Last October, he emerged from the woods in Shaanxi with his claim of a tiger sighting.
Officials in Shaanxi embraced his claim, awarding him 20,000 yuan (about US$2,920) and praise at a press conference little more than a week later.
"After the careful examination, experts confirmed the authenticity of the photos. That means the tiger has been found again after more than 20 years," the China Daily newspaper quoted Shaanxi Forestry Administration Bureau Deputy Director Zhu Julong as saying.
The glow didn't last. China's online community almost immediately suspected a fake. The tiger was too shiny, they said. And no matter where it was snapped among the trees, its position never changed.
When someone came up with an old poster with a photo that looked strikingly like the tiger and posted it online, the public called for an official investigation.
But Shaanxi officials stuck to their story.
With a rare tiger in their area, the officials knew they could bring in a lot of money by boosting tourism and creating a nature reserve, said Yu, the university professor.
Finally, under increasing pressure, the Shaanxi officials confirmed the photos as a hoax this week. Zhou was arrested on charges of fraud, accused of propping up the poster in the woods and shooting it with a borrowed digital camera.
But the anger in China isn't so much about Zhou.
"A small number of officials ignored science, common sense and broiling public opinion to play with the public trust," the Southern Metropolitan Daily, a popular newspaper known for its aggressive reporting, said this week. "When the wisdom of the people stripped away the emperor's new clothes, the officials lied and used bureaucracy to keep the truth from coming out."
The newspaper even hinted that Zhou might have had some help from officials. Seven officials have been fired, including Zhu, the forestry official, and six others have been disciplined. It all started with a farmer, a photo and a claim - a sighting of a rare tiger in the local woods, curled up and staring right at the ... more -
Tigers disappear from Himalayan refuge
World Wildlife Fund (WWF) is alarmed by the dramatic decline of at least 30 percent in the Bengal tiger population of Suklaphanta Wildlife Reserve in Nepal, once a refuge that boasted among the highest densities of the endangered species in the Eastern Himalayas. The recent survey of April 2008 showed a population of between 6-14 tigers, down from 20-50 tigers in 2005.
The Government of Nepal made a low-key announcement on July 1 based on the results of a long-term camera trap study conducted in large part by WWF. Officials identified poaching as perhaps the major cause of tigers disappearing from this protected area. Ironically, armed poachers have been photographed by the very equipment set up to capture tiger images.
World Wildlife Fund (WWF) is alarmed by the dramatic decline of at least 30 percent in the Bengal tiger population of Suklaphanta Wild... more -
Black Market Tigers Linked to Thai Temple
It's the hottest part of the day at a forest monastery in western Thailand, and tourists are led by the hand, one by one, into the beating sun to pet chained tigers and smile for the camera.
Every day at this unusual "Tiger Temple," as many as 800 tourists pay 300 Thai baht (9 U.S. dollars) each for their chance to interact with the endangered big cats.
The tigers—several of which were born at the compound—live alongside monks and volunteers in what one temple handler called a beautiful blend of Buddhism and conservation.
Though the remote monastery near the Burmese border is considered a must-see by some tourists, it's what the public doesn't see that has prompted a growing chorus of wildlife groups, both internationally and in Thailand, to call attention to its conservation missteps. (See Thailand map.)
Not only does the temple fail to preserve dwindling tigers as advertised, experts say, a new report released today by the U.K.-based conservation group, Care for the Wild International (CWI), asserts that the monastery has been trading the animals illegally with a tiger farm in neighboring Laos.
"What we feel is important is that people know this is not real conservation—people are being fooled. They are exploiting wildlife," said Guna Subramaniam, the Southeast Asia director for CWI.
CWI conducted its investigation between 2005 and 2008 with the aid of people who enlisted as temple volunteers. Subramaniam also visited the monastery in 2006 and 2007.
The temple staff dismisses any involvement in illegal trade. It's the hottest part of the day at a forest monastery in western Thailand, and tourists are led by the hand, one by one, into the bea... more -
World Bank's commitment to tiger conservation
The 39 member organizations of the International Tiger Coalition (ITC) applaud the World Bank’s announcement today that it will undertake a global joint venture to help reverse the decline in wild tigers — the first-ever species initiative by the Bank.
During the next six months, the Bank promises to hold open and frank dialogues with all stakeholders in tiger range countries—governments and non-governmental organizations—about which tiger conservation methods have worked in the past and which have not. This process is crucial for reversing the damage done to tiger habitat from poorly planned development projects in the past and addressing all major threats facing the fewer than 4,000 tigers remaining in the wild.
“The potential loss of wild tigers is a global problem that requires a global solution," said Judy Mills of the International Tiger Coalition. “The World Bank’s involvement has the potential to catalyze a paradigm shift for wild tigers and their habitats.”
The ITC is encouraged by the World Bank’s stated interest in ensuring that its future investments do no harm to wild tigers and hopes that other development agencies will follow suit. The ITC hopes that the Bank’s efforts will call world attention to the need to stop all demand for and use of tiger skins and bones.
The 39 member organizations of the International Tiger Coalition (ITC) applaud the World Bank’s announcement today that it will undert... more -
Tiger sanctuaries selling bone for Chinese medicine against international law
Animal parks in China are turning tiger bones in an alcoholic "health tonic" and defying international laws aimed at protecting one of the world's most endangered species, The Sunday Telegraph can reveal.
(Please note that there is no real evidence that this 'medicine' works for anything or that the 'sanctuary' is SECRETLY selling this wine, and that these many tigers couldn't have possibly died entirely out of natural causes by how fresh the corpses are. There are two more pictures also in the link, and the live tigers from these parks are miserable in their concrete and wired fenced enclosures.) Animal parks in China are turning tiger bones in an alcoholic "health tonic" and defying international laws aimed at protecting one of... more -
Scientists inject DNA from extinct tiger into mouse embryo
The possibility of bringing an extinct animal back to life sounds more like science fiction but could it happen?
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The population of big cats is declining at an alarming rate. Is it too late to sav...
In India tigers are in trouble again—and it may be the last time. Wildlife conservation experts now believe that India has so few tigers left, and they have so little room to maneuver, that populations have no recourse but to dwindle to extinction. Alan Rabinowitz, president and CEO of the Panthera Foundation, has championed tigers, jaguars, leopards and pumas and worked to preserve their habitats, from South America to Southeast Asia. Formerly the executive director of science of exploration at the Wildlife Conservation Society, based at the Bronx Zoo, Rabinowitz wrote "Life in the Valley of Death," about his recent experience negotiating with the Burmese dictator to create the largest tiger reserve in the world, in the Hukaung Valley in Burma. NEWSWEEK's Lily Huang spoke with Rabinowitz by phone about the work of conservation and strategies for the future. Excerpts: In India tigers are in trouble again—and it may be the last time. Wildlife conservation experts now believe that India has so few tige... more
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Dog nurses tiger triplets at zoo
It's a dog's life for three newborn tiger triplets in eastern China.
The cubs, whom officials at the Jinan Paomaling Wild Animal World in Shandong province are so far just calling "One," "Two" and "Three," have been nursed by a dog since they were rejected by their tiger mother shortly after birth, said Paomaling manager Chen Yucai. It's a dog's life for three newborn tiger triplets in eastern China. ... more -
'Act now' to save India's tigers
The European Parliament has called for a new strategy to prevent the tiger from becoming extinct.
The organisation's India delegation is holding a "Tiger Day" at the European Parliament in Brussels.
Indian government figures show the country's tiger population has fallen hugely in the past five years with only 1,411 tigers left in the wild.
Wildlife activists blame poaching and urbanisation for the decline and say the authorities must do more.
"Recent figures show... by 2025 the tiger may be extinct," Neena Gill, president of the European Parliament's India delegation, said.
"India alone cannot tackle this looming extinction. It is time for the European Union to take a stronger role in the international drive to save the tiger," she said.
Ms Gill's office said that one of the chief causes of the declining numbers of tigers is the presence of "tiger trafficking mafias" in Asia who are poaching Indian tigers, trafficking skins and body parts across Nepal and the Himalayan region to China.
China is a big marker for tiger skins and bones which are sold at a profit of 900%.
It says that China is under pressure from its tiger "farmers" to lift its existing ban on the trade in tiger parts and legalise it.
But conservationists say such a move would devastate the wild tiger population by causing an upturn in demand for tiger products and increasing poaching in the wild.
"With the run up to the Beijing Olympics, the world's attention is on China. We must raise this issue with the authorities and ensure they do not lift the ban on trade in tiger products which would prove disastrous to global efforts to save the tiger," says Ms Gill.
"Losing the tiger would be a global tragedy. Therefore, I am calling on the European Union to develop a comprehensive strategy to tackle this issue." The European Parliament has called for a new strategy to prevent the tiger from becoming extinct. ... more -
Chinese man eaten by escaped zoo tiger
A tiger has devoured a mentally ill man who entered the animal's zoo cage in northeast China, local media reported.
Zhang Yachun disappeared from his home in Harbin, the capital of Heilongjiang province, on March 24 and five days later police told his parents he had been eaten by a tiger in a nearby zoo, the China news service reported, citing a Harbin newspaper.
"Only two legs and his skull were left," the report said.
A tiger has devoured a mentally ill man who entered the animal's zoo cage in northeast China, local media reported. ... more -
Zoo in China killing tigers to make food and wine
The Xiongsen Tiger Park currently has about 1,300 tigers being held in captivity for the sole purpose of slaughtering them for food, as well as using their bones to make "magical" healing wine. In addition to tigers, the park also has over 300 lions and 400 bears ready for slaughter.
Perhaps the most cruel feature this park has to offer is the disturbing "Live Killing Exhibition," an event where spectators gather around to watch a captive tiger attempt to kill a young cow. While a wild tiger would have finished off its prey in moments, the captive tiger's hunting skills have been dramatically inhibited by its years in captivity. Thus, the cow was subjected to unimaginable torture before the keepers put it out of its misery. The Xiongsen Tiger Park currently has about 1,300 tigers being held in captivity for the sole purpose of slaughtering them for food, a... more -
Tiger numbers 'halve in 25 years'
The WWF told a conference in Stockholm there might be only 3,500 tigers left, and that one sub-species, the South China Tiger, could soon be extinct. Chinese demand for tiger body parts - used in traditional medicine - was described as one of the main threats
The WWF says that if the proper steps are taken then we can hopefully begin to see the number of Tigers in the wild rising again. Mankinds drums of war upon nature beat on. The WWF told a conference in Stockholm there might be only 3,500 tigers left, and that one sub-species, the South China Tiger, could s... more -
Tigers, Ice and Too Much Vodka: Harbin, China
Part 1 of 3. We were traveling though Harbin and got wasted off vodka and well, see what happened.
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Pig in tiger's clothing
Time for a dose of cute!
Mom tiger was depressed about losing her babies because they were all premature. The zoo looked everywhere for cubs to make the mommy tiger feel better. However, there were none.
All the zoo could find were piglets.
Because mom tiger was nursed by a sow, she sees pigs as family not as meals. So, now she has her own litter of piglets in tigers clothing. How is that for the world coming full circle.
So cute! Time for a dose of cute! ... more -
Pregnant tigress hounded; Another battles for life
At the last count they were 1411 and the clock is ticking on the ‘Save Tiger’ front. This time, the big cat has been attacked in India's largest stretch of mangrove forests - the Sunderbans. At the last count they were 1411 and the clock is ticking on the ‘Save Tiger’ front. This time, the big cat has been attacked in India... more
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Student Saves Tiger Cub's Life
This one definetly goes in the "awe, how freaking cute" category :) When a baby tiger chokes on some meat and stops breathing a good citizen offer's her help. After 3-5 minutes of tiger CPR the baby tiger begins breathing again. This one definetly goes in the "awe, how freaking cute" category :) When a baby tiger chokes on some meat and stops breathing a good c... more
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Tiger attack victim admits taunting, police say
SAN FRANCISCO - One of the three victims of San Francisco Zoo tiger attack was intoxicated and admitted to yelling and waving at the animal while standing atop the railing of the big cat enclosure, police said in court documents filed Thursday.
Paul Dhaliwal, 19, told the father of Carlos Sousa Jr., 17, who was killed, that the three yelled and waved at the tiger but insisted they never threw anything into its pen to provoke the cat, according to a search warrant affidavit obtained by the San Francisco Chronicle.
"As a result of this investigation, (police believe) that the tiger may have been taunted/agitated by its eventual victims," according to Inspector Valerie Matthews, who prepared the affidavit. Police believe that "this factor contributed to the tiger escaping from its enclosure and attacking its victims," she said.Sousa's father, Carlos Sousa Sr., said Dhaliwal told him the three stood on a 3-foot-tall metal railing a few feet from the edge of the tiger moat. "When they got down they heard a noise in the bushes, and the tiger was jumping out of the bushes on him (Paul Dhaliwal)," the documents said.
Police found a partial shoe print that matched Paul Dhaliwal's on top of the railing, Matthews said in the documents.
The affidavit also cites multiple reports of a group of young men taunting animals at the zoo, the Chronicle reported.
Mark Geragos, an attorney for the Dhaliwal brothers, did not immediately return a call late Thursday by The Associated Press for comment. He has repeatedly said they did not taunt the tiger.
SAN FRANCISCO - One of the three victims of San Francisco Zoo tiger attack was intoxicated and admitted to yelling and waving at the a... more -
Police: tiger attack victim was drinking and admitted taunting
-Update: A Judge has allowed San Francisco Zoo officials to search the tiger victims' mobile phones, but not their car, for evidence in the case.-
Getting drunk and taunting a tiger. Add this to the list of things I officially will not be doing.
'One of the three victims of San Francisco Zoo tiger attack was intoxicated and admitted to yelling and waving at the animal while standing atop the railing of the big cat enclosure, police said in court documents filed Thursday.
Paul Dhaliwal, 19, told the father of Carlos Sousa Jr., 17, who was killed, that the three yelled and waved at the tiger but insisted they never threw anything into its pen to provoke the cat, according to a search warrant affidavit obtained by the San Francisco Chronicle'. -Update: A Judge has allowed San Francisco Zoo officials to search the tiger victims' mobile phones, but not their car, for evidence ... more
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