China breaks 2010 promise – still killing tigers for profit

The demand from China is fuelling the destruction of the tiger in the wild’ Photos courtesy of Thai Police

China is still allowing the trade in tiger skins of so-called ‘legal origin', including ‘farmed tigers'. But, a lack of transparency over how authorities determine the legality of the skins coupled with insufficient enforcement and growing corruption is creating a smokescreen for the illegal trade in tiger parts and products in China.

‘Licensed trade' in tiger skins is a disaster
Wildlife artist and outspoken conservationist David Shepherd CBE said: "Tiger farms are barbaric. The sight of hundreds of tigers in small cages being bred just for their parts is repulsive. The Premier of China is on the record as saying he is committed to saving the wild tiger. His government is simply not living up to this commitment. Allowing a so called ‘licensed trade' in skins from tiger farms is a disaster for two reasons. First, it keeps up the scandalous demand for tiger parts by pandering to the market. Second, corruption and this ‘legal' trade make it almost impossible for enforcement agencies to police the situation.

"If Wen Jiabao means what he says about saving tigers, he can clear this up by setting a zero tolerance and end all trade, in all parts, from all sources policy now."

Demand from China is driving the demand for  tiger parts and skins - Which is driving wild tigers towards extinction. Photo credit Thai Police.

Fox backs tigers
Sam Fox, one of the celebrities backing the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation's TigerTime campaign said: "TigerTime is raising awareness and much needed funds to stop the poaching and illegal trade of wild tigers. We always knew that we would have to challenge governments to play their full part. This is one such occasion! I'm urging everyone who cares about the wild tiger to sign this. China is a great country in so many ways. However, it is letting the world down on this issue."

48 tigers killed in India this year
There are estimated to be only 3,200 to 3,500 wild tigers left on the planet. The surviving population is so low that they could all stand on just one soccer pitch. India, the largest tiger range country, has lost 48 tigers so far this year.

The TigerTime campaign has attracted massive celebrity support since its launch, including Stephen Fry, Ricky Gervais, Joanna Lumley and a host of others.

The tiger farming issue
It is not just ‘tiger farms' that are the source of registered tiger and other Asian big cat skins. Skins of other ‘legal origin' could be those that pre-date CITES (1973) (if from outside China) and pre-1989 (if of domestic wild specimen).

We don't KNOW how many skins are coming from farms...
Because China is not answering five simple questions we don't know the status of the scheme - we don't know how many skins have been registered, how many have been sold, how many have come from captive sources, how many have come from the wild and how whether they have been verified legality? It is appalling that China refuses to be transparent about what is going on, and that further undermines Wen Jiabao's commitment.

We do know that there are skins with permits for sale online - enough to show that it's happening and justify our request for full disclosure. Click here.

Laundering tiger skins
The means by which illegally-acquired skins could be laundered through the scheme in China. If a skin doesn't have a label and is not registered it can be seized and the trader can be arrested and penalised.

The scheme provides a mechanism to take illegally-acquired skins and declare them to the Provincial State Forest Administration (SFA) office as of legal origin. If the SFA is convinced, then the skins will be registered, labelled and thus available for domestic sale. That is where the risk lies, in a fraudulent claim of legal origin, or in corruption.

There has been an extremely high level of trade in illegally acquired skins since the late 1990's and China has certainly not seized all the illegal items inside their borders. Further, their lack of transparency over how they determine legality is a major cause for concern. One of the reasons there has been insufficient enforcement against the trade is in part due to corruption.

In the administrative order that implements their law (a notification released in 2007), it states that skins of specimens of legal origin can be sold. We ASSUME that legal origin for wild specimens means pre CITES - ie pre-1973 if it is from a tiger from anywhere other than China or Russia, and pre 1987 if it is a Russian specimen. And we ASSUME it also includes Chinese wild specimens pre-1989 when national law came into force (though by the late 80's there were hardly any wild tigers left in China). The notification also states that skins of tigers and leopards bred in registered facilities can be considered of legal origin.

The notification at no point states how Provincial State Forest Administration authorities verify legality of a specimen that is claimed to have originated in the wild. Do they simply take the word of the owner? What piece of paper or proof is required? Most of the skins EIA have seen for sale are of recent stock (sometimes it's stock that has just come across the border, sometimes the trader has had it for 1-3 years), and certainly EIA have encountered repeat offenders who have re-stocked since previous visits.

It is precisely this level of confusion, lack of transparency, loopholes and risks that you can drive a bus through, that mean if Wen Jiabao means what he said about saving tigers, he can clear this up by setting a zero tolerance, and end all trade, in all parts, from all sources policy now.