1,000 tiger parts seizures point to extinction

The TRAFFIC report says most of the tiger parts, which range across skins, bones, skulls and even penises, were seized in India, China and Nepal - destined for use in traditional medicines, decorations and even good luck charms.

The report reveals a major trafficking route, only uncovered in recent years, that begins in India, home of half the world's tigers, and ends in China - where tiger parts are highly prized as homespun cures for a range of purported ailments and as aphrodisiacs.

Experts say China's economic boom has helped fuel the illegal trade, as more and more Chinese are able to afford the expensive tiger products.

The report found that between 1,069 and 1,220 tiger parts were seized in 11 of the 13 tiger range countries in the decade ending April 2010.

"A paradigm shift in terms of commitment is needed against forces driving one of the most legendary species on Earth to extinction," said the report.

While it did not estimate the total number of tigers poached every year, the report nevertheless said "with parts of potentially more than 100 wild tigers actually seized each year, one can only speculate what the true numbers of animals are being plundered."

The report comes days before a "tiger summit" in St. Petersburg, Russia, set to kick off on November 21 and last for three days.

The summit is expected to finalize a plan to double the number of tigers in the wild by 2022. Presently, there are believed to be as few as 3,200 wild tigers remaining, down from about 100,000 a century ago.

The conference, hosted by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, is expected to include representatives from all 13 tiger range countries.

The report also noted that an increasing number of seizures are being made in Indonesia, Nepal, Thailand and Vietnam. It said illicit trade hotspots include Nepal as a transit country and the borders of India-Myanmar, Malaysia-Thailand, Myanmar-China and Russia-China.

Many seizures take place within 30 miles (50 kilometers) of protected tiger areas like the Western Ghats in India, the Sundarbans of Bangladesh and Nepal's terai region.

The report stressed that enforcement alone will not curb the trafficking and that concerted effort was needed to curb demand for tiger parts.

China has come under fire in particular for its lacklustre attempts to wean its citizens off tiger products and those from other wild animals. While ‘tiger farms’ have sprung up to meet some of the demand, critics say this has not slowed trafficking because of a widespread belief that medicines from wild tigers are more potent than those from farmed animals.

[TRAFFIC is a joint program of the WWF and IUCN, the International Union for Conservation of Nature.]