Following discussions on the serious threats posed by the big cat trade and policies in China which serve to perpetuate it, 71 MPs and Peers have now called on the UK Government to support strong action to save big cats
Last year we raised the alarm about a new Chinese Government policy which repealed a 25-year ban on use of tiger bone and rhino horn in traditional medicine. A document issued in March 2019 by the Government of Shaanxi Province appears to implement the new policy and makes no reference to the November 2018 claims that a full ban is in effect.
At a special All-Party Parliament China Group event yesterday (2 April), hosted by Rebecca Pow MP, MPs heard how international trade in the body parts of Asia’s endangered tigers and leopards is banned – but that they are still poached for their skins, bones, teeth and claws because of demand among Chinese consumers.
If you live in the UK, we ask you to call on your local MP to join our campaigners at an event in Parliament on 2 April 2019 to explore how the UK can work with China to become big cat conservation champions.
Our Tiger campaigners are encouraged to see recommendations adopted by tiger range countries (TRCs) at the 3rd Stocktaking Conference on Tiger ConservationPDF included a strong message calling for an end to tiger farming and the closure of domestic markets for tiger parts.
The 3rd Stocktaking Conference on Tiger Conservation starts today in New Delhi, India – essentially a health check on implementation of the 2010 global commitment to double the wild tiger population from an estimated 3,200 by the next Chinese Year of the Tiger in 2022.