Vietnam cracks down of tiger farming

March 14, 2007

Last Updated: Tuesday, March 13, 2007 20:26:22 Vietnam (GMT+07)

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Vietnam

pulls the plug on private tiger breeders

*Vietnam plans to confiscate 37 illegally bred tigers in the south, the

local media said Tuesday, but questions remain about what the government

will do with the animals. *

Only about 150 tigers survive in the wild in Vietnam, where much of their

natural habitat has been destroyed. So, releasing them into the wild might

not be an option, according to conservationists.

" We have made recommendations to the authorities on how to deal with the

tigers, but the issue is fraught with problems, " said Tim Knight, spokesman

for the conservation group, Wildlife at Risk, in Ho Chi Minh City.

" From a conservation point of view, keeping them for breeding purposes would

be the best thing. "

The reports said the tigers were found in Binh Duong province about 40

kilometers north of Ho Chi Minh City. They are being kept privately by

individuals and organizations.

Vietnam News Agency and some newspapers said Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung

had told the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to " work out

measures " to deal with the tigers in the province.

They said the ministry " proposed to confiscate all illegally bred tigers and

transfer them to authorized organizations " . But they did not say where the

animals might be taken.

Breeding tigers in captivity is difficult and the enormous demand in Vietnam

and other Asian countries to consume parts of exotic animals for culinary or

medicinal purposes threatens many species.

Vietnam signed the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species

of Wild Fauna and Flora, or CITES, in 1994.

*Source: Reuters*

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