ECSST News article of the day Maybe disturbing to read, but this is fact and shows you the true mentality of some ‘humans’! TRACKING TIGER TRADE: DISTURBING TRENDS Researchers and conservationists recently teamed up to help track Indias flourishing illegal tiger trade, revealing some worrisome trends happening where this abhorrent activity occurs and is supplied. That is, at least according to a study recently published in the journal Biological Conservation, which based its findings on about 40 years worth of tiger trade data collected by the Wildlife Protection Society of India (WPSI). According to an in-depth analysis of this data, there are 73 key districts in India which are likely to be active hubs for tiger poaching, and illegal trafficking and pelt trade. These hotspots run from southern and central India all the way up to the countrys boarder with Nepal. The authors of the study even suggest that the Nepalese boarder is the main hub for international trade of tiger into China - a lucrative trade that faces little scrutiny. THE QUIRKY APPETITE OF CHINA Sharon Guynup, a well-known author journalist, and wildlife advocate, recently described in The New York Times how tigers in Southeast Asian countries like China are not just valued for their pelts and bones, but flesh as well. In what Guynup describes as appalling visual feasts, it has become a popular diversion among Chinas wealthy elite to watch a live tiger be slaughtered, butchered, and then prepared in a fine meal. One man arrested in a police raid of one such dinner party in 2013 reportedly even told prosecutors that he had a quirky appetite for eating tiger penis and drinking tiger blood. Guynup suggests that the growing popularity of these bizarre feasts could be altering the state of the illegal trade world, and she might be right. We are seeing a disturbing shift in demand for some species from health to wealth - driven by the motivation of displaying new wealth rather than by use in traditional medicine. This is most evident with the use of rhino horn and tiger parts, John E. Scanlon, the Secretary-General of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), said in a recent statement. Scanlon is talking specifically about a CITES report on the illegal animal trade that was presented in Geneva last July. The report detailed some disturbing trends concerning pangolins, rhinos, elephants, and even cheetahs. Big cats in particular were a major focus, as the number of seizures of live or frozen cats appears to have shot up in recent years, with India and Indonesia cited as major international black market providers. From 2010 to 2012, 61 live tigers were seized alone, with 74 percent of them confiscated in Southeast Asian countries - where the feasts Guynup spoke of are most popular. Still, skins, a major focus of the Indian trade in particular, remain the dominant product on the market. THE TIGER TRAIN TREND Looking back to India, it is becoming clear that the markets changing appetite for tiger is leading to a change in how it functions. According to the Biological Conservation papers authors, while hubs may have once been more geographically diverse, it has now become common that they are closer to railway routes than highways………………………………………… READ FULL ARTICLE AT: natureworldnews/articles/9204/20140926/tracking-tiger-trade-disturbing-trends.htm If you like it, please share it? ECSST (Endangered Cat Species Survival Trust) Homepage: ecsst.org (in the process of updating with lots of information regarding endangered cat species in the wild and our entire project, our photographers, cat species etc.) Facebook: facebook/Endangeredcatspecies Twitter: https://twitter/ECSST777 Photographers group: facebook/groups/332219533550937/
Posted on: Mon, 29 Sep 2014 09:35:01 +0000
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