Thailand’s tiger facilities investigated for alleged links to black market

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Thai farms investigated for alleged links to black market

By Kornrawee Panyasuppakun 
The Nation

 

 

Thailand’s tiger facilities have come in for international scrutiny amid suggestions many farms are taking part in the illicit trading of the animals.
 

The committee on the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) now plans to appoint a non-governmental organisation to collect data on the population and conditions of captive-bred tigers in tiger farms across Thailand, according to ThaiPBS news report, which quoted a source from the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DPA). 

 

 

The report says that the international agency is questioning how many tiger facilities manage to run their business profitably without even opening the premises to the public and collecting admission fees. Many have even kept almost a hundred tigers, ThaiPBS reported. 

 

“CITES suspects the unexplainable incomes [of the tiger facilities] and wonders how such places have kept the tigers [from entering the black market],” the source said.

 

The source said the farms exploited a grey area in the Wildlife Conservation and Protection Act B.E. 2546, which pardons those who register tigers as long as they acquire the animals legally. As a result, the population of tigers in captivity has risen. 

 

An amnesty in 2003 further allowed tiger owners to register them even if they acquired the animals illegally, the source said. According to Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand, Thailand issued a pardon in 1992 and 2003 on the ownership of protected wildlife and in 2013 alone, as many as 185 tigers were registered.

 

However, according to the source, the DPA is trying to prevent the sale of captive-bred tigers by creating a database of those both in the wild and captivity. 

 

In doing so, the DPA is collecting blood samples and DNA, as well as taking photos of the stripes of all tigers raised in captivity. 

 

 

The agency is also taking photos of the stripes of wild tigers – the DPA hopes that if the animals end up being smuggled or sold in live or as parts, the database will help to identify the animal and its owner. 

 

The DPA also believes that when the new Wildlife Conservation and Protection Act is in place, the law will plug the loophole, allow authorities to better protect the protected animals and increase the maximum penalties for those involved in trading protected animals.

 

According to TRAFFIC four countries – Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and China – were urged by CITES in 2016 to close their tiger facilities. The move followed a report by WWF and TRAFFIC that showed that as much as 30 percent of seized tiger products in 2015 came from animals kept in captivity.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30355350

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-09-28

[mikebell]

Whilst old Chinese men continue to believe eating bits of tiger is good for the libido, there will always be this market.  A Chinese newspaper should run a story about a new wonder drug called Viagra.

[jak2002003]

This is why they are called FARMS and not tiger protection conservation things.

 

The tourists don't want to open their eyes to it.  Even though a few simple questions will make a person realise that the places are there to grow tigers for their body parts and trade.

 

Just think... how come these tiger places ALWAYS have lots of baby tigers for people to have their photo taken with?   Where are all these tiger cubs going once they are grown up?  There would be hundreds of them in a year, every year!!

[Lamkyong]

6 hours ago, jak2002003 said:

This is why they are called FARMS and not tiger protection conservation things.

 

The tourists don't want to open their eyes to it.  Even though a few simple questions will make a person realise that the places are there to grow tigers for their body parts and trade.

 

Just think... how come these tiger places ALWAYS have lots of baby tigers for people to have their photo taken with?   Where are all these tiger cubs going once they are grown up?  There would be hundreds of them in a year, every year!!

 run their business profitably without even opening the premises to the public and collecting admission fees.

[Eligius]

Here we go again.

Thailand: hub of abuse and exploitation - of people AND animals.

 

[AhFarangJa]

I will be shocked the day I read that something or someone has NOT been exploited for financial gain here.

[greeneking]

No investigation after the Kanchanaburi Tiger Temple fiasco?

At least it was eventually closed down. Did the Tigers really all go where they were supposed to?

Fast forward a couple of years and many reports of another Tiger 'attraction' opening on land next to the temple.