The Illegal Wildlife Trade is a global Platform for the trade of exotic and Endangered species which puts many animals from the small and cute to the big and Majestic at risk of extinction. Tigers are vulnerable to poaching because of the high price it fetches in the International market for its parts, every part of the Tiger from its Whiskers to its bones and Penis is precious in the black market.
Most of these beliefs stem from Traditional Chinese Medicine to cure a variety of ailments as shown in the image below, even though there are better alternatives and have scientific evidence to prove that they are legitimate products, many people still resort to TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) and are adamant and ignorant refusing to switch to a better alternative. The Trade exists because of many factors such as:
Demand for Tiger Parts to be used in TCM– in many Southeast Asian countries and China the demand for Tiger Parts has led to the near extinction of the local subspecies of Tiger namely; the Indochinese Tiger, The Malayan Tiger, and The South China Tiger. The Javan and the Bali subspecies have been driven to extinction because of the illegal trade of their body parts and Habitat loss.
Abject Poverty: in some cases poverty of an individual is exploited by criminal syndicates who deal in illegal wildlife trade, they offer more money than the person has ever seen but still it is a drop as compared to the amount the syndicates make when they sell the Tiger hence wringing in poor people as their footsoldiers to do the dirty work and paying them a fraction of what they make is the modus operandi of most syndicates involved in IWT.
In some cultures Tiger Skin, Tiger head trophy mounts are seen as a status symbol and hence are sought after to display their wealth and status, also Tiger Penis and a few other parts are used interchangeably as an aphrodisiac to increase the Sex drive of an Individual or improve the Sexual performance of an individual, even though it has no reported effect but the Psychological effect it has on the consumer makes it look like the product works but in reality, its a placebo or it is tainted with common store bought Viagra and sold under the guise of having a natural effect on sexual Vigour.
The Trade Chain
The trade happens through various levels and often the people caught in the act are the footsoldiers of the organization and are at the lowest level, more often than not they are replaced very easily with more people of the same socio-economic background as it is easy to lure them in. The Syndicate often involves poachers who are easily expendable, middlemen who buy from the poachers, traders who sell, consumers who buy, and many supporting actors who act on the sideline to ensure that everything goes smoothly
Impact of the Illegal Tiger Trade.
The illegal trade of tigers has led to the population of tigers being reduced by 90% in the past century, today only about 5000 Tiger are present in the world found in the wild with more than 50% being found in India, this can be attributed to the success of Project Tiger and also the deep-rooted respect and status Tigers have in our culture. The illegal trade has affected the communities living on the edge of Tiger habitats to come in direct conflict with Tigers and also the destruction of crops and farmlands by overpopulation of herbivores in the absence of predators such as tigers to control the population of Herbivores, also the loss of habitat brings Tigers in close proximity to Humans which more often than not ends badly for Tigers.
Since the Tiger population in the wild is not enough to supply and satisfy the demand for Tiger parts Tiger farms have cropped up in many Southeast Asian Countries close to the Chinese border where most of the trafficked items end and the farms operate in a Special Economic Zone controlled by the Chines Government indirectly. No fear of the law or repercussions allows the perpetrators to abuse the animal in captivity and trap them in horrid conditions.
In the end, concentrated efforts have to be put in by existing Tiger range countries if we want the next generation to see the majestic Tiger in the Wild and the countries where Tigers are already on the Brink of extinction should try to emulate other countries where Tiger conservation has been a success keeping in mind of country-specific parameters, and the best way to see Tigers in the wild is to kill the demand for its parts which through concentrated education and awareness can be curbed hence driving the demand down.
