CONSERVATIONISTS DENOUNCE CHINA'S TIGER FARMING PLANS

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CATT Alert #24: Conservationists Disavow China's Tiger Transplant Plans

 

March 7, 2006

 

Dear CATT Subscriber,

 

A story sent out March 2 on China's Xinhuanet news wire makes it sound as if

the world's largest conservation organization supports China's move to

introduce farmed tigers into the wild. That implication is incorrect.

 

China's farmed tiger population now exceeds 4,000, many of which are Amur

(Siberian) tigers, Zhou Rongsheng of the State Forestry Administration is

quoted as saying. According to the article, China already has launched

" training programs " to teach these tigers to " live wild like their

ancestors " . Zhou says this will be particularly useful in supplementing the

estimated 10 wild tigers China has along the northeastern border with

Russia. (Most tiger experts agree that this is China's only remaining wild

population.)

 

The Xinhuanet

piece<http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2006-03/02/content_4248932.htm>implies

support from World Wide Fund for Nature-WWF (also known as World

Wildlife Fund) for China's tiger-introduction plans.

 

" WWF is opposed to the farming of tigers for use in traditional medicine. We

believe that any trade (domestic or international) in products from the

so-called " tiger parks " will further threaten the world's remaining wild

tiger populations. We also do not believe that there is any feasibility to

reintroducing tigers from these farms into the wild. The real priorities are

habitat conservation, enhanced anti-poaching and law enforcement, and

efforts to facilitate the expansion of natural populations of wild tigers,

including the Amur tiger, " says Sue Lieberman, Director of WWF

International's Global Species Programme.

 

Lieberman adds, " WWF and TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade programme of WWF and

IUCN, are calling on authorities in the region to curb the demand for skins,

bones, and parts of tigers and all Asian big cats, and strengthen

enforcement efforts along trade routes, in transit markets and markets in

Asia. WWF believes this to be a critical priority. The article in Xinhaunet

is correct that WWF is working on conservation with Chinese authorties, but

we are not working on nor do we support the breeding of tigers in tiger

farms " .

 

Sarah Christie of the Zoological Society of London, who co-manages

conservation breeding of tigers in Europe, Russia and Australasia, provided

a detailed rebuttal to the premise of the Xinhuanet story. " The breeding

strategy in tiger farms is totally unsuitable for conservation. It is easy

to assume that the more tigers that are bred, the better; but in fact this

is entirely wrong. Instead, the key lies in attention to points such as

purity of founder stock, genetic relationships among breeders, and breeding

equally from all genetic lines. Farming methods lose genetic diversity;

conservation breeding methods conserve it. "

 

As for the need to supplement the Sino-Russian tiger population, Christie

says, " should there ever be a need for supplementation, there is a stable,

well-managed and genetically diverse population of Amur tigers in the

world's zoos. We have a 'genetic lifeboat'.

 

" Furthermore, a reintroduction of Amur tigers in China is not an appropriate

conservation action by any criteria. Reintroduction of large carnivores is

extremely difficult, time consuming and expensive, and should only be

undertaken when no other options are available. This is not the case at this

time. There is a far, far better alternative action for restoration of Amur

tigers in northern China * encourage expansion of the existing wild tiger

population on the SinoRussian border. This would be cheaper, quicker and

much more likely to succeed. To its credit, the Chinese government has

already established a new reserve there. "

 

In conclusion, Christie says, " the suggestion of reintroducing Amur tigers

in northern China is in itself a dangerous distraction from the real

priorities in both wild and captive tiger conservation efforts. But even if

it were the right thing to do, tigers from farms would not be suitable. "

 

It is important that tiger farming not be presented as anything other than a

commercial enterprise that will not help, but could well harm wild tigers.

 

If you would like additional information about conservation breeding for

tigers, please see www.ZSL.org and www.21stCenturyTiger.org, or contact

Sarah Christie at Sarah.Christie.

 

Thank you for your concern about wild tigers,

 

Judy

 

Judy Mills

Campaign Against Tiger Trafficking (CATT): An organized response to an

organized crime