Chinese tiger breeding center facing dire financial straits

[Guest guest]

More funding for the Chinese Tiger Breeding Center is not the solution to

the problems it faces. As someone who has performed an in-depth assessment

of this operation (on www.5tigers.org, look under research and then Amur

tigers) and as author of a coming book on Savings Asia's Wild Cats, I feel

qualified to speak on the topic.

 

First, this Center was started in 1986 with the sole purpose of breeding

tigers to harvest for use in traditional Chinese medicine. China joined

CITES in 1981, but never passed the internal legislation necessary to outlaw

trade in endangered species until 1983. At this time, the Center continued

to breed tigers, and all dead animals were (and still are) placed in a

freezer in anticipation of making future sales.

 

Facing financial difficulties, in 1996 a " wildlife park " in Harbin was

established, where people could visit and see tigers. The Center continued

to breed tigers at an artificially high rate, removing cubs from their

mothers, thereby bringing the females into heat two to three times a year.

When I made my assessment in late 1999, sixteen females were actively bred,

theoretically resulting in over 100 new tigers per year based on the

survival rates as reported by the Center's officials.

 

According to population figures as reported by the Center, there are far,

far fewer tigers than there should be when one pieces together the data

based on models used by captive breeding experts. In particular, the number

of young tigers is disproportionate to the number of mature adults, fueling

suspicion that the older ones are being culled and harvested.

 

The Center has repeatedly refused to provide an explanation for the

discrepancy. Until it does this it will continue to be shunned by the

international conservation community.

 

So, why is China continuing to breed tigers when it claims to be unable to

feed the ones that it has? This is the key question which must be answered.

Where are the missing tigers?

 

Until the Center is prepared to open its records and account for missing

tigers, it cannot take part any legitimate conservation effort and should be

closed, with its tigers turned to good (i.e. educational) purposes.

 

Kirsten Conrad

AsiaCat

 

 

Christine [friesian7]

Wednesday, February 07, 2001 11:07 AM

TeenActivist; LoveAllAnimals; Helptheanimals; Greenvibrations;

Animals; Animaladvocacy; Animalactionalerts; aapn

FW: (CN) Chinese tiger breeding center facing dire

financial straits

 

 

This is so sad, do you think it's worth writing to their govt urging more

funds be spent on these gorgeous creatures?

 

I also noted this.. “In 1992, the government bowed to international pressure

and imposed a ban on trade in parts of the endangered species, supporting

the Convention of the International Treaty of Endangered Species (CITES).

Officials from the center cried foul, complaining to the China Youth Daily

that Beijing's ban on sales of tiger products had forced it to stop culling

tigers and run into debt.”

 

So if you do want to write a letter you might want to also point out that

they need more FUNDS and culling should NOT be an option.

 

I have looked for almost an hour in the search for contact details for the

Chinese Ministry of Forestry or Tourism, but no luck. Does anyone have these

contact details by chance? Or know where to get them?

 

Christine

 

 

Dr John Wedderburn [john]

Saturday, 20 January 2001 19:49

AAPN List

(CN) Chinese tiger breeding center facing dire financial

straits

 

 

Financial woes at China's largest breeding center for the critically

endangered Siberian tiger have forced smaller feedings and other cuts in

efforts to prepare the cats to return to the wild, the official Xinhua News

Agency reported Wednesday.

 

The Hengdaohezi Feline Breeding Center has outstanding debts of 20 million

yuan (USD2.4 million) and continues to come up short due to a lack of help

from the government, the report said.

 

The center and the nearby Harbin Siberian Tiger Park are home to 160

Siberian tigers and expect another 60 cubs to be born this year. However,

staff may try to curb births due to the financial problems, Xinhua quoted

director Wang Ligang as saying.

 

Numbers of Siberian tigers have been devastated over recent decades by

poaching and destruction of forest habitat in northeastern China and the

Russian Far East. Approximately 500 survive, 200 of those in captivity, the

report said.

 

Wang said the center needs 15 million yuan (USD1.8 million) a year to keep

the animals and pay staff, but tourism brings in only 9 million yuan

(USD1.1 million). Government funding fails to make up the difference.

 

Center staff hope to earn additional money by leasing tigers to zoos,

raising donations from the public and building new attractions that present

the tigers without cages, the report said.

 

Staff at the center were unreachable for comment.

 

[More about Hengdaohezi at: http://www.5tigers.org/China/conrad.htm ]