(IN): Ban on tiger products: China team here to talk

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http://www.indianexpress.com/story/31050.html

 

Ban on tiger products: China team here to talk

 

Ravleen Kaur

 

Indian Express, Wednesday, May 16, 2007

 

NEW DELHI, MAY 15

In order to facilitate its traditional medicine industry, a Chinese

delegation of State Forestry Administration (SFA) officials is in New

Delhi to discuss, among other things, to lift the ban on trade in

tiger products. The eight-member delegation, led by Li Yucai,

Vice-Administrator of SFA, has also invited the Indian delegation to

China for further discussions in July.

 

India has raised concerns on the issue but did not completely rule out

the idea of tiger farms. " The Chinese delegation is contemplating on

that but haven't given anything to us in writing. We have made our

concerns clear that captive farming has never really helped. They have

to convince the international lobby, including Convention on

International Trade in Endangered Species, before we agree, " said

Ministry official.

 

The issue was first raised last November when a Chinese delegation

discussed the modalities of segregating " farm and wild products " with

the Ministry of Environment of Forests.

 

The Indian team, led by DG MoEF GK Prasad, raised two main concerns.

" One was security protocol. How will it be ensured that wild tigers

are not being traded in the garb of captive breeding? Second, how will

they convince their people that farm-bred tigers have the same

medicinal properties as wild tigers, " said the official.

 

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WILDLIFE PROTECTION SOCIETY OF INDIA (WPSI)

S-25 Panchsheel Park, New Delhi 110017, India

Tel: (Int+ 91.11) 4163.5920 & 4163.5921

Fax: (Int+ 91.11) 4163.5924

E-mail: wpsi

Website: www.wpsi-india.org

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