Born Free Foundation - Keep Wildlife in the Wild

In June 2007, a detailed survey by the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), which used accurate camera traps for counting tigers rather than the more traditional method of counting footprints, reported that previous estimates of tiger numbers in India may be hugely optimistic.

For example, in the 16 reserves of Madhya Pradesh, Rajastan, Maharastra and Chattisgarh there may be only 490 tigers – a 60% reduction from the 1,233 tigers previously estimated for these areas in 2002. Indeed, the same 2002 survey had claimed that in total, India had 3,500 tigers, whilst the new survey claims that just 1,400 remain.

Although India does have good laws governing tiger conservation, there is frustration amongst those working in tiger conservation that these laws are not being adequately implemented. However, initiatives such as Born Free’s community and education work in India are getting good results.

Translocating villagers out of tiger reserves can be effective too, if sensitively done. The villagers get access to schools and health care and can farm without risk of attack, the tigers’ prey flourishes in the absence of disturbance, and poachers’ activities are harder to disguise. In China, the domestic trade in tiger body parts was banned 14 years ago. However, there are at least 5,000 tigers in tiny cages in China, reportedly just for display.

Nevertheless, farmers seem quite open about the fact that tigers are killed so their body parts can be used for Traditional Medicine. At the CITES¹ conference in June, there was a proposal from China to amend the Convention text governing the trade in tiger parts. This would have effectively given China the go-ahead to trade in ‘parts and derivatives’ from captive bred tigers. Thankfully this proposal was rejected by the CITES Parties, and instead a landmark decision taken, which states that ‘tigers should not be bred for trade in their parts and derivatives’. Will this decision see the end of tiger farming in China? Only time will tell.

¹Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species. CITES regulates trade in threatened animals and plants