Tiger Farming in China

[Guest guest]

Dear colleagues

 

I have worked on various animal welfare issues in China over the

years, and I would like to highlight some serious concerns that are

applicable to the issue of tiger farming in China:

 

1) Good animal welfare is very rare – the concept is not really

accepted. Standards of husbandry are low, with very little

environmental enrichment. Worst of all, there is no law to ensure

that animals will not suffer.

 

2) A huge number of animals suffer in China, and cases of extreme

cruelty can be seen all over the country. This cruelty is seen in all

areas of animal use, from zoos, circuses, and research to livestock

factory farming and commercial wildlife breeding farms (e.g. bears,

turtles, mink, foxes). Most of these facilities fail to meet the

basic needs of the animals. Most of us will recall a report on fur

farming in China published in 2004 by EAST, showing that the animals

were kept in unacceptable conditions and killed by extremely inhumane

methods. If commercial tiger breeding farms were allowed in China, it

is very doubtful that the welfare of these animals would be

acceptable by any standards.

 

3) Commercial tiger breeding farms will not help in conservation of

tigers.

a. On the contrary, it will increase the poaching of wild tigers. The

bear farms in China still catch cubs from the wild to get new stock.

b. When wildlife products are consumed, wild-caught animals are

always more valuable than captive bred farm products. People who can

afford it will demand wild-caught animal products. While the demand

exists, there will always be killing.

c. It has been recognised by various conservationists that the

captive breeding of an endangered species will most likely increase

and legitimise the use of products from these species. This will

stimulate global trade and products will continue to come from wild

animals, with a negative impact on the wild populations. This has

happened in the case of bears.

 

4) Many Chinese TCM practitioners have clearly stated that there is

no need for the use of tiger bone in TCM. The pressure to lift the

ban is clearly driven by a few tiger breeding farms for their own

profit.

 

5) Currently there is no identification scheme in China that allows

the differentiation of bear gall bladders into captive-bred and wild-

caught products. All the bear gall bladders which are openly sold in

Chinese pharmacies are claimed to be from breeding farms.

 

6) The arguments given in this discussion for tiger farms are based

on an economic angle to increase the value of the tiger through

putting a price on it. Apart from the ethical reasons for discounting

such an argument, this obviously does not take into account the

social and political situation of China.

 

In summary, the positive conservation impact of tiger farming on the

wild tiger population is questionable, while the poor standards of

animal welfare in China are undeniable. We should not risk our

precious and critical tiger population by allowing the commercial

breeding of tigers in China.

 

Pei F. Su

ACTAsia