[Music]
the tiger the largest of the big cats is
also the most endangered the population
of wild tigers has declined more than
95% in the past century what’s driving
Tigers toward extinction and can we save
them fewer than 4000 tigers remain in
the wild the current decline of tigers
is primarily driven by poaching to be
the demand for tiger parts in China
international trade and tigers was
banned at 1987 yet lack of enforcement
and a growing demand has only made the
situation worse sophisticated criminal
syndicates transport Tigers and their
parts across international borders these
gangs are part of a multi-billion dollar
illegal wildlife trade Tiger parts are
sold for use in traditional Chinese
medicine from the nose erroneously
believed to treat epilepsy to the tail
used to treat skin diseases and nearly
every body part in between has been used
to treat various other maladies these
purported natural remedies date back at
least a thousand years and it’s not just
health but also wealth that’s driving
the demand Tiger bone wine has become a
luxury good among China’s growing elite
selling for up to hundreds of dollars a
bottle the product is made by steeping a
tiger’s bones in rice wine some believed
drinking the resulting elixir will cause
them to gain the tiger strength to meet
growing demand for Tiger bone wine China
established its first tiger farm in
night
1886 a tiger farm is a facility that
breeds Tigers like livestock today there
are hundreds of tiger farms and other
captive facilities across China
Southeast Asia and South Africa many
which are suspected of being involved in
commercial trade these facilities house
as many as 8,000 tigers
that’s roughly double the number in the
wild so why are wild tiger numbers still
declining most conservationists
aggrieved that Tiger farms simply drive
up demand for tiger parts also some
consumers believe medicine made from
wild Tigers to be more potent than that
from captive bred Tigers many Tiger
farms double as tourist attractions
tourists can take part in the latest
trend photos with Tigers and tiger cubs
but these encounters are far from
harmless to meet tourists demand for
Cubs Tigers on farms are speed bred
newborns are taken from their mothers
soon after birth so the females can more
quickly produce another litter in the
wild tiger cubs stay with their moms for
about two years
when farm tiger cubs grow up
they’re slaughtered for their parts one
popular tourist attraction in Thailand
the tiger temple made headlines when an
investigation found it was essentially
operating as a tiger farm the temple
opened in 1999 claiming to be taking in
orphaned tigers it quickly ballooned
into a three million dollar a year
enterprise with busloads of tourists
paid to pet Tigers and bottle feed Cubs
in 2016
Thai authorities discovered that the
temple had been breeding Tigers without
a license all 137 of the temples Tigers
were seized during the raid authorities
also discovered tiger parts and 40 dead
tiger cubs the tiger temple incident may
have spurred the international community
to take more concrete steps to prevent
wild tigers from going extinct societies
the treaty that regulates international
wildlife trade now requires all
countries with Captain Asian big cats to
report on how they are ensuring the cats
and their parts don’t enter the illegal
trade and it’s not too late to save
Tigers beliefs in traditional medicine
are fading as the younger generation in
China moves toward more modern
evidence-based medicine also Tigers are
a resilient species females typically
give birth to six to eight Cubs in their
lifetime large areas of suitable tiger
habitat still remain and they have the
potential to support over 20,000 Tigers
experts agree that if demand for Tiger
parts can be curved and tires can be
protected in the wild Tigers may be able
to rebound for the latest news on Tiger
conservation and other wildlife issues
check out national Geographics wildlife
watch
[Music]
the tiger the largest of the big cats is
also the most endangered the population
of wild tigers has declined more than
95% in the past century what’s driving
Tigers toward extinction and can we save
them fewer than 4000 tigers remain in
the wild the current decline of tigers
is primarily driven by poaching to be
the demand for tiger parts in China
international trade and tigers was
banned at 1987 yet lack of enforcement
and a growing demand has only made the
situation worse sophisticated criminal
syndicates transport Tigers and their
parts across international borders these
gangs are part of a multi-billion dollar
illegal wildlife trade Tiger parts are
sold for use in traditional Chinese
medicine from the nose erroneously
believed to treat epilepsy to the tail
used to treat skin diseases and nearly
every body part in between has been used
to treat various other maladies these
purported natural remedies date back at
least a thousand years and it’s not just
health but also wealth that’s driving
the demand Tiger bone wine has become a
luxury good among China’s growing elite
selling for up to hundreds of dollars a
bottle the product is made by steeping a
tiger’s bones in rice wine some believed
drinking the resulting elixir will cause
them to gain the tiger strength to meet
growing demand for Tiger bone wine China
established its first tiger farm in
night
1886 a tiger farm is a facility that
breeds Tigers like livestock today there
are hundreds of tiger farms and other
captive facilities across China
Southeast Asia and South Africa many
which are suspected of being involved in
commercial trade these facilities house
as many as 8,000 tigers
that’s roughly double the number in the
wild so why are wild tiger numbers still
declining most conservationists
aggrieved that Tiger farms simply drive
up demand for tiger parts also some
consumers believe medicine made from
wild Tigers to be more potent than that
from captive bred Tigers many Tiger
farms double as tourist attractions
tourists can take part in the latest
trend photos with Tigers and tiger cubs
but these encounters are far from
harmless to meet tourists demand for
Cubs Tigers on farms are speed bred
newborns are taken from their mothers
soon after birth so the females can more
quickly produce another litter in the
wild tiger cubs stay with their moms for
about two years
when farm tiger cubs grow up
they’re slaughtered for their parts one
popular tourist attraction in Thailand
the tiger temple made headlines when an
investigation found it was essentially
operating as a tiger farm the temple
opened in 1999 claiming to be taking in
orphaned tigers it quickly ballooned
into a three million dollar a year
enterprise with busloads of tourists
paid to pet Tigers and bottle feed Cubs
in 2016
Thai authorities discovered that the
temple had been breeding Tigers without
a license all 137 of the temples Tigers
were seized during the raid authorities
also discovered tiger parts and 40 dead
tiger cubs the tiger temple incident may
have spurred the international community
to take more concrete steps to prevent
wild tigers from going extinct societies
the treaty that regulates international
wildlife trade now requires all
countries with Captain Asian big cats to
report on how they are ensuring the cats
and their parts don’t enter the illegal
trade and it’s not too late to save
Tigers beliefs in traditional medicine
are fading as the younger generation in
China moves toward more modern
evidence-based medicine also Tigers are
a resilient species females typically
give birth to six to eight Cubs in their
lifetime large areas of suitable tiger
habitat still remain and they have the
potential to support over 20,000 Tigers
experts agree that if demand for Tiger
parts can be curved and tires can be
protected in the wild Tigers may be able
to rebound for the latest news on Tiger
conservation and other wildlife issues
check out national Geographics wildlife
watch
[Music]
Please follow and like us: