More than a dozen leading NGO’s including those from India on Friday exhorted US President Barack Obama to raise the issue of trade in tiger organs in China when he meets his Chinese counterpart.
In a joint letter to the US President, NGOs urged Obama to impress upon China the vital need to take immediate action to protect the fewer than 3,200 wild tigers remaining across Asia.
“One of the most critical threats to the survival of wild tigers is trade in their meat, skin and bones to satisfy demand driven by wealth, rather than health – for high-status food, drink, home decor and even investment assets,” the letter said.
“This demand is fuelled by a marked increase in tiger farms in China, laos, Vietnam and Thailand, where tigers are intensively bred for trade in their parts and products. China alone claims to house more than 5,000 tigers on farms,” the NGOs said.
Among the signatories to the letter are Carole Baskin, Big Cat Rescue; Adam Roberts, Born Free USA and Born Free Foundation; Debi Goenka, Conservation Action Trust; Kedar Gore, The Corbett Foundation; Sally Case, David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation; Debbie Banks, Environmental Investigation Agency; Iris Ho, Humane Society International/The Humane Society of the United States and Sean Carnell.