The spurt in tiger poaching in India is being directly attributed to the increasing demand of tiger parts especially in China, Vietnam, Thailand, Burma and Indonesia.
India has been vociferous in demanding that both China and Vietnam end all tiger farming as these are known to be fronts for a thriving illegal market in tiger parts. Vietnam has 11 registered tiger farms while China has 20 large farms, which are breeding nearly 5,000 tigers in captivity. The US also has an estimated 5,000 tigers in captivity (owned largely by individuals) and it is well known that captive tigers are easy targets for black market sales.
Despite a ban on breeding of captive tigers on a commercial scale, tiger bones and tiger products are being increasingly sold in the international market.
Tiger deaths in India have increased more than 35 per cent in 2012 with 45 deaths reported till August 6 against National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) released figures of 33 for the same period of 2011.
Senior sources in NTCA admit to an increase in poaching in Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra spurred by the international demand for body parts.
Recently, the owners of some of the tiger farms in China have been demanding that the domestic trade ban be lifted so that they can legally produce and sell tiger products.
During a recent meeting of the Convention on International Trade on Endangered Species (CITES), India was in the forefront demanding closure of farming facilities and the destruction of stockpiled body parts.
Belinda Wright, director of Wildlife Protection Society of India, pointed out that, “The operation to breed tigers and other Asian big cats should be restricted for the purpose of conservation. Big cats, including tigers, should not be bred for trade of their parts or for other derivatives.”
World Wildlife Fund’s Tiger Initiative is working with TRAFFIC to close tiger farms and also prevent legal commercialisation of dead tiger body parts. TRAFFIC believes that the setting up of transboundary customs ports will go a long way in monitoring sales of tiger body parts.