China has marked the new Year of the Tiger by ordering greater enforcement of laws aimed at preventing the trade in illegal tiger parts and products.

The announcement has been well received by the Indian government which has been putting pressure on the Chinese government to enforce the laws and so help prevent the extinction of the tiger, most of which still reside in Indian National Parks and Tiger Reserves.

The Chinese order is aimed at protecting tigers in the wild, enforcing laws against illegal trading of tiger parts & products and better management and monitoring of tiger farms.

The order has called for improved protection of tigers and their prey in the wild. This will have to be done through efforts in “research, monitoring, anti-poaching and alleviating human-tiger conflict”. China has some 20-odd tigers in the wild.

It has also mandated a crackdown on illegal smuggling and trade of tiger parts and products. The order has specifically asked local forestry bureaus to collaborate with other law enforcement agencies to increase monitoring and undertake enforcement measures against tiger trade.

Officially, domestic trade in tiger parts is illegal in China. However, the ever-growing demand for tiger parts, which are used to make Chinese traditional medicine, has contributed to a flourishing black market, which fuels increased poaching and smuggling of tigers out of India through the Nepal and Myanmar borders.

The latest directive from the Chinese authorities seeks to address the issue by trying to curb this demand. It calls for promoting public awareness to reduce consumption of tiger parts and a public rejection of illegal trade.

It suggests encouraging and motivating the public to report wildlife crime to authorities. At the same time, those officials who repeatedly ignore public complaints about illegal trade will be held responsible.

The Chinese order has also called for increased monitoring and management of tiger captive breeding facilities. This will require creating a database that would track all tigers bred on these facilities, with special attention to tiger deaths in these farms. To prevent trade, stockpile of tiger bodies and parts should be sealed to prevent use.

Those facilities that do not have storage capabilities would be required to destroy stockpile, under the supervision of local authorities. Each tiger farm will be required to have permits and meet conditions before opening up for public viewing.

Nearly 4,000 tigers are bred in scores of these controversial tiger farms in China. While the government maintains that these farms have been developed to attract tourists, experts maintain that these farms are used to harvest tiger body parts, which are used in traditional Chinese medicine.

The Indian government has pushed for the phasing out of tiger farms and destruction of stockpiles of tiger parts. The minister had sought an assurance from China’s minister for environment protection Zhou Shengian that China would sensitise people to the problem and take steps to discourage trade in tiger parts.

Via The Economic Times

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