Farms: Part 7 - Curbing trade in tiger parts

Belinda Wright said that there is virtually no demand for tiger parts in India. "All we can do in India is to keep our tigers safe and protect them in the best way that we can. The demand issue has to be addressed by China. Even though India has dialogued with China about this quite sincerely for some time, they have to make the move. The World Bank, the European Union, and the United States have put pressure on China, but unfortunately they believe that they have used tiger parts in their traditional oriental medicine for hundreds of years and they will continue to do so - they can't understand what all the fuss is about. "I think the world needs to continue to put pressure on China. The problem is that when there is too much pressure on China, it stops listening. But there are people working on it, and China is thinking about it. We need to remember that trade in tiger bones is actually illegal in China. As a tiger conservationist, I would like the Chinese government to come out with a categorical statement to the consumers in China that the ban will never be lifted. What the consumers are seeing at the moment are these huge tiger farms, some of which have funding assistance from the government, and that sends out the wrong message that the ban will be lifted one day. "Most of the other international efforts have to do with a combination of enforcement and awareness. International efforts are important because without them, it is like walking with one leg. India is not dialoguing quite closely with Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan and so on. However, I feel very strongly that one should not hide behind these endless meetings and inter-country agreements. In India, we're very good at that."