Guest guest Posted June 11, 2008 Report Share Posted June 11, 2008  Protect Wild Tigers, End The Tiger Trade If you are having problems reading this email, please click here to view it as a webpage. International Fund for Animal Welfare | June 9, 2008 A Better World for Animals and People Help save the last of the wild tigers Dear Jill, Throughout history, tigers have instilled awe in the hearts and minds of people. Fierce and noble, the tiger embodies the qualities of strength and courage. Its striking colors, penetrating eyes, and muscular body are unmatched in the natural world. Unfortunately, these very same traits have made the majestic creatures a target for hunters, and for tiger traders. Tiger pelts are displayed as trophies, while tiger bone, purported to have special healing powers, is consumed in Traditional (TCM). And where there’s demand, there’s supply… via an illegal network of poachers, traders and even industrial tiger farms. The result is that fewer than 4,000 tigers remain in the wild. 15 years of tiger protectionIn 1993, in an effort to save the last remaining wild tigers, the Chinese government banned the domestic trade in tiger parts. Since then, the government has invested significant efforts in reducing market demand in tiger products, and tiger bone has been replaced as an ingredient in TCM by effective herbal alternatives. The Chinese public supports the country’s official pro-tiger conservation stance: a recent survey found that 93% of Chinese people support their government’s tiger-friendly policies, and 95% would be willing to take action to save wild tigers. Over the years, IFAW has campaigned tirelessly to protect tigers and their habitat. Our efforts have been focused on: As a founding member of the Global Tiger Forum, IFAW is encouraging governments to provide support for wild tiger protection in the range states. IFAW has rescued tiger cubs and funded anti-poaching efforts in Russia, supported habitat recovery in India, and worked with law enforcement agencies to stop illegal trade in China. And our work produces resultsIFAW’s lobbying for strengthened legislation in Russia resulted in large increases in penalties for poaching and a renewed commitment to enforcement. And IFAW’s report Made in China: Farming Tigers to Extinction, contributed to a decision by CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) to urge members not to allow the breeding of tigers for trade in their parts.But all is still not well for the tiger Despite the international and domestic bans on tiger trade, industrialized farms across China are intensively breeding tigers. Some farms are already selling products claimed to contain tiger bone, actively stimulating market demand. Tigers that would normally have a range of hundreds of square miles are kept in cages…tiger are paired to speed-breed in order to produce the maximum amount of litters…tiger cubs are taken away from their mother as early as 3 months so the tigress can breed again, while in the wild cubs would be with their mother for up to 3 years learning basic survival skills. Despite the ban in the trading of tiger parts, illegal tiger wine is still sold in markets. In the cellar of a tiger farm-affiliated wine factory, a sales manager boasted about 400 huge barrels, “each containing a tiger carcass, brewing tiger bone wine.†The trade of tiger parts threatens the very survival of the world’s few remaining wild tigers. It stimulates market demand for tiger parts, and provides incentive to poaching wild tigers. Costing as little as a bullet or a wire snare, poaching of wild tigers always undercuts the cost of farming tigers for trade, making poaching and trading of wild tigers more profitable. With wild tiger numbers so dangerously low, any increase in poaching will wipe them out. Help us keep the tiger trade ban in placeTo celebrate the 15th anniversary of China’s successful ban on tiger trade, there are two actions you can take to help protect wild tigers: Send an e-mail to the CITES authorities, urging them to fully implement the CITES decision to ban the breeding of tigers for the trade in their parts and derivatives. Donate Now to help fund IFAW’s campaigns to save the last of the world’s wild tigers Don’t let this be the end of wild tigers. Together we can continue to protect this majestic animal for generations to come.Thank you,Jason Bell-LeaskDirector, IFAW Southern Africa Worried about Donating online?I used to be too ... so I made sure our online system is safe, secure, and state-of-the-art. It also eliminates cheque-processing costs, so more money goes directly to saving animals. But if you prefer to donate by phone or mail, simply click here for address information.NOTE: To make sure you continue to receive further emails from IFAW, please add jason to your email address book. If you use a spam filter program, please assign this address a status of safe or trusted. If you have an AOL, Hotmail, MSN or email address, this is particularly important as we receive many bounce backs from these email addresses.IFAW 2008www.ifaw.org77 Church Street, Cape Town 8000, South Africa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.