Tiger bone wine on sale in China
Tuesday, 10 Jun 2008 10:44
Tiger bone wine is viewed as a 'health tonic'
Animal parks in China are selling illegal tiger bone wine, according to covert studies by the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA).
Despite laws banning trade in the body parts of tigers the group says it found parks that sold the wine, made from the remains of the captive big cats that die there, for nearly £100 a bottle.
It also claims the Chinese authorities are turning a blind eye to the trade and is calling for a crackdown on the activities.
The wine is viewed as an alcoholic 'health tonic', which claims to treat a number of conditions including arthritis and rheumatism.
At one park the wine was offered at up to US$186 (£94) a bottle at one park and 'deluxe' gift packs at US$286 (£145) were on sale at another.
Debbie Banks, head of EIA's Tiger Campaign said: "Chinese authorities are clearly continuing to turn a blind eye to the illegal trade and EIA is now calling for an urgent crackdown on the trade at these parks.
"We also want other parks with similar tiger 'attractions' to be investigated to see how widespread this tiger bone wine making practice is. We want authorities to give a clear message to the business community that this illegal trade will not be tolerated."
Ms Banks warned that a powerful lobby of the businessmen who own these parks in China is pressuring its government to lift the current domestic ban on trade in tiger body parts so it can commercially produce tiger bone wine from captive animals.
"Lifting the ban would increase demand and lead to a surge in poaching of India's already embattled wild tiger populations," she said.
"It would be all too easy to launder their skins, bones and parts among those from legalised tiger farms. This would be effectively declare an open season on wild tigers."