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China’s tiger farming plan makes Indian experts see red

Indian wildlife conservationists are up in arms against China’s proposal to breed tigers on farms and ease the ban on trade in the animal’s parts.

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NEW DELHI: Indian wildlife conservationists are up in arms against China’s proposal to breed tigers on farms and ease the ban on trade in the animal’s parts.

The conservationists say the Chinese would raise the issue of breeding tigers exclusively for trade at the upcoming Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) at The Hague, The Netherlands, in June.

India will be represented at the meeting, which will be attended by all the signatories to CITES, by senior environment ministry officials.

Tiger parts are used extensively in Chinese medicine, whose practitioners claim that they help to cure rheumatism and enhance sexual appetite.

The Chinese claim that breeding tigers exclusively for their parts will reduce poaching of tigers.

But conservationists do not buy this argument. Wildlife officials say that if tiger farming happens, it would spell doom for tigers in the wild, particularly in India, which has the world’s largest population of tigers.

Tiger conservationist Valmik Thapar said, “If China decides to go ahead with this, it would be the worst news for the Indian tiger. If the trade ban is eased, all tiger parts being smuggled into China from India would be given a legal tag once they enter China. That would make it easy for smugglers to flourish.”

The issue will be taken up at the US Fish and Wildlife Service next week. “Our stand is clear. We will oppose the move,” said Ashok Kumar of the Wildlife Trust of India.

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