May 16, 2007
International Tiger Coalition

An international coalition of 35 organizations is calling on India to ask China to keep its ban on trade in tiger bone in place. A Chinese government delegation is in India all week to discuss tigers, among other issues, with Indian officials. This visit comes as China considers lifting a ban it placed on trade in tiger products in 1993.

“We hope that the Indian government will communicate to the Chinese delegation how important China's 14-year ban on tiger trade has been to the protection of India's treasured wild tiger populations,” the International Tiger Coalition said in an open statement. “Furthermore, we hope the Indian government will stress the absolute necessity of keeping this ban in place in order to secure a future for India’s tigers.”

There are several “tiger farms” in China that, collectively, house about 5,000 live tigers. Pressure to lift the ban is coming from the investors in these tiger farms, who stand to make enormous profits if China’s ban is lifted. The coalition recommends an immediate moratorium on breeding at China’s tiger farms so that the current population of captive tigers does not grow, as well as the eventual closure of all tiger farms.

The International Tiger Coalition is an unprecedented alliance made up of environmental, zoo and animal protection organizations as well as the traditional Chinese medicine community, which have come together to speak with one voice in asking China to keep its successful 14-year ban on tiger trade in place to ensure a future for wild tigers. The coalition believes any reopening of tiger trade in China’s booming economy will rekindle an enormous demand that will threaten the survival of remaining wild tiger populations throughout Asia.

“There are simply too few tigers left in the wilds of Asia to risk reopening trade of any kind from any source,” said Belinda Wright, Executive Director of the Wildlife Protection Society of India (WPSI), a coalition member. “We dare not risk an entire species for the financial gain of a handful of investors.”

Aaranyak
American College of Traditional Chinese Medicine
Animal Welfare Institute
Animals Asia Foundation
Association of Zoos & Aquariums
Born Free Foundation
Born Free USA
British and Irish Association of Zoos & Aquariums
Care for the Wild International
Conservation International
Council of Colleges of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine
David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation
Environmental Investigation Agency
Global Tiger Patrol
Humane Society International
Humane Society of the United States
International Fund for Animal Welfare
PeunPa
Ranthambhore Foundation
Save The Tiger Fund
Species Survival Network
The Corbett Foundation
Tigris Foundation
TRAFFIC
21st Century Tiger
WildAid
Wildlife Alliance
Wildlife Conservation Nepal
Wildlife Conservation Society
Wildlife Protection Society of India
Wildlife Trust of India
World Association of Zoos & Aquariums
World Society for the Protection of Animals
WWF
Zoological Society of London