Det er aldrig erkendt offentligt før og kommer efter en rapport, som blotlægger, hvordan den kinesiske regering tillader handel med skind fra landets mange tigerfarme – uanset at det ansporer til yderligere efterspørgsel på dele af det udryddelsestruede smukke rovdyr.
China has for the first time admitted in public that it permits trade in skins from captive tigers, according to participants and officials at a meeting of an international convention to protect endangered species, BBC online reports Friday.
They said the Chinese authorities had never before reported this to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (Cites).
Between 5,000 and 6,000 tigers are believed to be in captivity in China. Wildlife conservation organisations have long demanded an end to the trade in skins, believing that “tiger farming” has fuelled demand for the poaching and trafficking of the endangered species elsewhere.
They say the admission at the meeting will increase pressure on China to curb the practice. China reportedly said that it still banned tiger bones.
Reports also say that the “tiger farms” have been providing live animals and parts for illegal international trade.
The admission from China followed a report on how the Chinese government had allowed commercial trade in skins from captive tigers, and suggesting that around 1,600 tigers, both from captivity and the wild, have been traded globally since 2000.
A little more than 3,000 tigers are believed to be left in the wild.
