Thailand tiger farms: Hunting the traffickers

By Jonathan Head

South East Asia correspondent

 

BANGKOK: -- When the Thai authorities moved in to shut down a tiger zoo in a temple at the end of May, they exposed a lot more than just the various irregularities in that one facility. The macabre sight of tiger foetuses preserved in bottles, and the shrivelled, frozen remains of other cubs, suddenly cast the popular tourist attraction into a more sinister light. Was this evidence of illegal trade in tiger parts?

 

As it happens, few experts believe the cub carcasses have much value. The bones, skin, teeth, claws and meat of adult tigers are where the money is made. Officials of Thailand's Department of National Parks, who closed the temple zoo and removed its 147 tigers, did find some evidence of trafficking: amulets containing tiger claws, and a truck attempting to leave the temple with two skins and other small parts. At least three adult tigers had gone missing two years earlier.

 

This, said DNP Deputy Director Adisorn Noochdumrong, suggested continuous involvement in small-scale illegal trafficking by the temple's managers. But his bigger concern is the criminal networks he believes have been encouraging the trade, from this and other so-called "tiger farms". There are at least 30 such farms in Thailand, where intensive breeding takes place. They are not illegal but the lack of records in the temple zoo illustrates the weak regulation of these places and allows the possibility of tiger trafficking.

 

Full story: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-38030482

 

-- © Copyright BBC 2016-11-21

Hang them. There should be no doubt what this organization was doing.

One just opened up here in Pattaya near Makro.  Sick.

10 minutes ago, craigt3365 said:

One just opened up here in Pattaya near Makro.  Sick.

 

That's the real story. Proving how pathetic and powerless official pressure is here, unless the top dog so decrees.  Until then do what you want and whatever you can get away with.

What's the difference between a tiger and a crocodile? Both are being sold in bits and pieces.

3 minutes ago, sharecropper said:

 

That's the real story. Proving how pathetic and powerless official pressure is here, unless the top dog so decrees.  Until then do what you want and whatever you can get away with.

I knew a guy who worked at a snake farm.  I guess there are regulations as to how many they can have, etc.  So, just before the "surprise" visit by the authorities, a call was made to them and the excess snakes were tossed out the back.  Lovely system they have here.

The points made by Edwin Wiek in this article are incomprehensible and illogical. I don't accept that the trade will be more easily stopped by closing all the tiger farms. It would only put additional pressure on wild populations, which he admits can easily be picked off - and if he thinks something can easily be done to stop the poaching of wild tigers he is gravely  mistaken. He does not describe how poaching would be prevented - in fact it is impossible to stop.

 

Tigers are quite easy to breed in captivity. We needn't worry about them. It's the wild tigers we need to worry about. The sad truth is that the black market trade is necessary to relieve pressure on wild populations which would certainly be rapidly hunted to extinction otherwise. It's morally impossible to legalise this trade, therefore a blind eye must be turned to the a moderate supply to accommodate China's insane demand for these products, until such time as that demand is cut off at source.

 

The article doesn't address the latter issue at all, even though it is the only real issue. It will take intense vilification campaigns in the popular media in China to change attitudes. That will take time. For now, the inescapable logic is that tiger farming and a limited supply is necessary to save wild tigers. The do-gooders who want to close tiger farming down completely are doing more harm than good.

14 minutes ago, ddavidovsky said:

The points made by Edwin Wiek in this article are incomprehensible and illogical. I don't accept that the trade will be more easily stopped by closing all the tiger farms. It would only put additional pressure on wild populations, which he admits can easily be picked off - and if he thinks something can easily be done to stop the poaching of wild tigers he is gravely  mistaken. He does not describe how poaching would be prevented - in fact it is impossible to stop.

 

Tigers are quite easy to breed in captivity. We needn't worry about them. It's the wild tigers we need to worry about. The sad truth is that the black market trade is necessary to relieve pressure on wild populations which would certainly be rapidly hunted to extinction otherwise. It's morally impossible to legalise this trade, therefore a blind eye must be turned to the a moderate supply to accommodate China's insane demand for these products, until such time as that demand is cut off at source.

 

The article doesn't address the latter issue at all, even though it is the only real issue. It will take intense vilification campaigns in the popular media in China to change attitudes. That will take time. For now, the inescapable logic is that tiger farming and a limited supply is necessary to save wild tigers. The do-gooders who want to close tiger farming down completely are doing more harm than good.

These tiger farms fuel poaching.  Closing them will help preserve those remaining in the wild.  Your argument falls apart when you say the black market trade is necessary.  Stop the demand, the poaching stops.  Education is the key.  Along with proper legal enforcement.

 

The tiger temple in Kanchanaburi was closed down for good reasons.  Congrats to the do-gooders.

Let the tigers do the hunting.