In a unanimous decision of its 171 members, CITES has not permitted China to lift ban on tiger trade. The U.N. wildlife conference strongly urged China on Wednesday not to lift the 1993 ban on domestic trade in tiger parts amid fears that any sales could drive wild cats to extinction.
Recently China put forward its proposal to the U.N. Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) that it is planning to lift the 1993 ban on trade in tiger parts. A strong international community raised alarm as soon as it got to know the Chinese proposal, urging that the step would encourage poachers and eliminate the already endangered tiger from the earth.
Therefore, keeping the danger to the tiger population it was decided by the CITES in The Hague that Tigers should not be bred for trade in their parts or derivatives, despite Chinese reassurances that scientific evaluation would be transparent and open.
According to Chinese tradition each and every part of tiger is human health friendly. The big cat body parts are used as medicinal cure in the form of wines, powder, balms and pills, believed to cure illnesses ranging from rheumatism to laziness, headaches and paralysis. In rest of the world tigers are prized for furs, skin and costumes.
However, Beijing says its breeding centers support conservation of wild tigers, whereas the picture is darker in the wild where the country has only about 30 tigers. Because the country has not successfully introduced farmed tigers to the wild.
Also the CITES cautioned the rest of the world on intensive breeding operations, which according to it should be limited to a level supportive only to conserving wild tigers. It portrayed the gory picture of the dwindling numbers of tigers that was over 1,00,000 at the beginning of the 20th century but due to poaching and illegal trade has plunged to 5,000.
International trade in tiger parts was banned in 1975, yet illegal trade continues to rule the roost. With countries like Japan, U.S. and the E.U. being the major market of import of illegal tiger parts.
The resolution came, as a hard-fought victory for the India that had strongly opposed to ensure China’s proposal to open trade in tiger derivatives was defeated. CITES warning comes at a time when tiger population is staring extinction in the face.
But, efforts must be made by the international community to rein in the illegal trade in tiger parts. Only then, we can be assured that the most ferocious animal on earth would live to see another day.
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Via: Timesofindia