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Continued tiger product trade could lead to their extinction
June 6 : A Leading tiger expert has called for all governments to stop trade in tiger products to ensure the survival of the big cats.
In his study in the paper, “The Fate of Wild Tigersâ€, WWF chief scientist Eric Dinerstein said that for their survival, it is necessary for governments to stop trade in tiger products from wild and captive bred sources, and ramp up efforts to conserve their species and their habitats.
Describing the wild tiger’s population decline as “catastrophicâ€, he has also urged international co-operation to ensure the animal’s continued existence in the wild.
“We’re recommending that tiger range states and other governments with an interest in tiger conservation convene a high-level ‘tiger summit’ to address poaching, trade and habitat protection – urgently,†said Dinerstein.
Habitat loss and intense poaching of tigers and their prey, combined with inadequate government efforts to maintain tiger populations, have resulted in a dramatic reduction in tiger numbers.
According to a cover story in this month’s BioScience journal, the big cats now occupy just seven percent of their historical range.
Scientists say the possibility that China could reopen trade in parts harvested from farmed tigers represents a new threat.
“A legal market in China for products made from farmed tigers will only increase demand and allow criminals to ‘launder’ products made from tigers poached from the wild,†said Dinerstein.
“Countries with tigers must let China know that its 1993 ban on tiger trade has been a success in helping slow poaching of wild tigers and that the ban needs to remain in place,†added Josh Ginsberg of the Wildlife Conservation Society and a co-author of the paper. (ANI)
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