Lifting ban on the trade of tiger parts - are they insane?

China wants the Indian government to lift its 14-year-old ban on the sale of tiger parts. Now who in his or right mind would do that? Here in India we are already running short of these magnificent cats and I think every kid in the world knows this. I hope the Indian government — the kind of sissy government we have these days — doesn’t relent under diplomatic pressures.

The link above says:

India is home to over 50 per cent of the world’s tigers, whose body parts go into the making of traditional Chinese medicines, constituting a market valued at over $4 billion annually. Its dwindling tiger population, despite 35 years of conservation efforts, has been a cause of serious concern. Illegal poaching and smuggling into China is recognized as among the most significant factors.

Although the killing of tigers was banned in China 1993, meat dishes, and other medicinal products sell like hot cakes in the illegal market. Some restaurants even advertise wines that are said to have been made by dipping tiger carcasses in rice wine.

Wildlife organizations say illegal trade in big cat skins and body parts is worth about $8-billion a year and the stupid Indian poachers get as little as $20 per tiger killed.

According to the WWF 95% of the world’s tiger population has perished and three sub-species are already extinct. There is another species that hasn’t been spotted for the past 25 years.

Although the Chinese want the ban to be lifted only on the trade of captive tigers’ parts, it’ll surely trigger a chain reaction because the tigers raised in captivity are not considered healthy.

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