Appeal: Tackling the trans-Himalayan trade in tiger skins, bones, teeth and claws

Please help us protect tigers and other endangered wildlife.

The Trans-Himalayan trafficking route

Tigers continue to be killed across their range due to high demand for tiger parts and products in China, Vietnam and other parts of South-East Asia.

Organised criminal gangs take advantage of porous borders to smuggle tiger skins, bones, teeth and claws, as well as other endangered wildlife products, across the ancient trade routes from India and Nepal to Tibet and China.

The worldwide population of tigers has declined by a massive 95% since the 1900s. Only around 5,574 tigers remain in the wild. We must protect tigers from this brutal trade.

Wildlife species at risk

Tigers are not the only endangered animals at risk of being trafficked across the Himalayas. Wildlife criminals in this region also have leopards, snow leopards, clouded leopards, Asiatic black bears, pangolins, musk deer, rhinos and elephants in their sights.

Tigers

Although India and Nepal have made huge strides in tiger conservation, poaching for the illegal trade continues to be a major threat to tigers’ survival.

Leopards

Leopards are the most poached and illegally traded big cats, with India accounting for the largest share of reported seizures of leopard skins and body parts.

Asiatic black bears

Asiatic black bears are classed as ‘vulnerable’. They are poached for their gall bladders and the bile is extracted for use in traditional Chinese medicine.

Pangolins

Pangolin scales are in demand for traditional Chinese medicine, threatening the populations of Chinese and Indian pangolin species.

Our new project to protect tigers

Since our Tiger Campaign began in 1996, we have consistently fought to protect these magnificent creatures.

We are now starting a new project with Greenhood Nepal and the Wildlife Protection Society of India to support civil society organisations and front line law enforcement officers.

We will provide information and tools that will help them identify and prosecute the criminals who mastermind the illegal trans-Himalayan wildlife trade.

By supporting national and regional efforts to counter the illicit international trade in endangered wildlife, we will contribute to the common goal of securing a future for Asian big cats, Asiatic black bears and pangolin species in India and Nepal.

It’s gut-wrenching to think of wild tiger skins being used as rugs and their teeth and claws being made into jewellery. Together with our partners, we have worked continuously to end this brutal trade. Please support us now as we embark on a new project to stop criminal gangs from exploiting tigers.

Debbie Banks, Campaign Leader, Tigers and Wildlife Crime

Tiger successes

1996	Our campaign to save tigers begins, with a focus on protecting the species in its heartland of India.
1998	EIA successfully advocates for the USA to prohibit trade in tiger products, such as pills and wine on sale in New York’s Chinatown.
2004	Our report, ‘The Tiger Skin Trail’, reveals new evidence of the escalating illegal trade in tiger and leopard skins.
2005	The Dalai Lama uses EIA and WPSI photos and video to raise awareness of the illegal trade in big cat skins.
2007	As part of the International Tiger Coalition, we are instrumental in persuading world governments to agree to phase out tiger farms.
2013	Our explosive report, ‘Hidden in Plain Sight’, reveals the extent of the legalised domestic trade in captive-bred tigers in China.
2019	We achieve hugely significant wins at CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) on tiger farms and the leopard trade.
2022	Together with 11 NGOs, we release a toolkit to help tiger range countries tackle tiger trafficking.
2024	EIA and Go Insight launched CatByte, a new database that collates intelligence on big cat trafficking.

Please help us save endangered species

As an EIA supporter, you have already done so much to help us fight to save tigers. Any gift you can give today will help us to:

Identify and dismantle the criminal networks who kill tigers and other endangered wildlife for profit.
Campaign to protect tigers in their natural habitat, which in turn protects other species and ecosystems.
Lobby governments for legislation that protects big cats and ends all trade in tiger products.

If you can, please donate today to help protect tigers and other endangered wildlife. Your gift will make a valuable difference to our work.

Donate now

Please donate today to help us protect tigers and other endangered species, tackle wildlife crime and protect the planet. On behalf of everyone at EIA, thank you.