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Mandarin/Eng/Nat With less than 5,000 wild tigers left in the world a bitter row has broken out in Thailand over proposals to farm produce tigers for Chinese medicine. Across Asia many Chinese believe the bones and organs can cure everything from arthritis to impotence. There's a UN ban on international trade but the Thai Forestry Commission is now deciding whether to allow businessmen to cash in on the home market. It looks friendly enough but this man's farm will shock most animal lovers. He keeps 35 tigers and hopes Thailand will soon allow him to legally kill them, grind their bones and dry the organs for use in Chinese medicine. A dead tiger currently fetches up to $10,000 dollars on the black market. SOUNDBITE: (Mandarin) "We intend to breed as many tigers as possible. I hope the Government will find some way for us to turn the mature and dead ones into commercial products" SUPER CAPTION: Somphong Temsiriphong, Director, Siracha Farm Wildlife groups are angry that cubs are already being separated from their mothers so they can provide a second litter within six months. Yet Thai authorities are still only discussing whether to allow such farms. SOUNDBITE: These people are just doing it for money with no thought for Thailand's reputation or conservation. What they want is to end up selling tiger steaks, penis soup for aphrodisiac purposes and I just don't think animals should be used like this. SUPER CAPTION: Leonie Vejjajiva, Thailand Wildlife Foundation At the farm we discovered a display case of Chinese medicine Inside, the dried sex organs of a male tiger. They sell illegally for around $4,500 dollars. We were told these were not for sale. In Bangkok this vet is a leading adviser to the department considering the issue. He believes tigers could be farmed as easily as pigs and that legal supply would reduce prices and so weaken the incentives to kill wild ones. He thinks the West is too sentimental. SOUNDBITE: "Western people must open their minds and accept the ideas of Asian people because this is mainly an Asian issue" SUPER CAPTION: Parntep Ratanakorn, Adviser to Thai Royal Forestry Department. Opponents say its a world-wide issue. They fear a legal market for tiger medicine would put a bounty on the head of every remaining wild tiger. SOUNDBITE: "From my point of view its just black magic and superstition and I don't think tigers should be subjected to this" SUPER CAPTION: Leonie Vejjajiva Whatever Thailand decides in the new year these cubs face a bleak future. Unless farming for Chinese medicine is allowed the owner says he won't be able to maintain food and living costs. You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/fcdb9052115b57004dcf9b16209a1e89 Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork