ERADICATING the MARKET for BIG CATS JAGUAR: Near Threatened
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ERADICATING THE MARKET FOR BIG CATS JAGUAR: Near threatened. Pop. Decreasing. At least 776 teeth seized from illegal trade since 2014 WHY ARE BIG CATS KILLED FOR TRADE? Unchecked and growing demand for big cat parts and products, primarily from Chinese consumers FOR LUXURY HOME DÉCOR, but also Vietnamese, is threatening TAXIDERMY, CLOTHING, all the world’s big cats. Most ACCESSORIES demand is not for traditional Big cat skins are used to make uses, but for luxury products and rugs, wall hangings and taxidermy prestigious gifts. Different body specimens. Off-cuts may be used for parts are in demand for a variety of clothing or accessories. different uses. The market for big cat skins ranges from While tigers are traditionally the elite consumers, who may purchase most sought after, all big cats are tiger skins, cleanly prepared from falling prey to this demand – parts captive sources, or cheaper skins from of other species are often sold to wild tigers. Skins of leopards, snow consumers in place of tiger. leopards and clouded leopards are cheaper alternatives, affordable to non- elite consumers. © EIA/WPSI © EIA/ENV SKINS PHOTO JAGUAR: Near threatened. LION: Vulnerable. Pop. Decreasing. Pop. 23,000-39,000, decreasing. At least 776 teeth seized from illegal trade 3,321 skeletons exported to Laos and since 2014 Vietnam 2007-2016 Right, top: Tiger bone wine for sale on WeChat Right, bottom: Tiger bone glue for sale on WeChat FOR TONIC WINES, TRADITIONAL MEDICINES, CARVINGS Leopard bone is used in the same When most people think of trade in tiger consumer markets in production parts, they think first of use of tiger bone of wines and medicines, often sold to in traditional Chinese medicine. Tiger consumers as tiger. So-called ‘leopard bone is indeed ground up for production bone’ might come from leopards, clouded of traditional medicines in China, despite leopards or snow leopards. this being illegal. Lion and jaguar bone is also consumed in However, the biggest market for big cat similar ways to tiger bone. There appears bone appears to be for production of to be some demand for lion bone glue in tiger bone wine, consumed as a prestige Vietnam, but in many cases lion is sold to luxury product as a tonic or to enhance consumers as tiger.1 Recent reports have male virility, often given as a gift or revealed a market for jaguar bone glue non-financial bribe. In China and other among Chinese communities in South production centres, tiger bone wine is America.2 usually made by soaking bones in rice wine. In Vietnam, tiger bone is often Big cat bones are also sold to Chinese boiled down to form tiger bone ‘glue’, consumers as jewellery or carved into which is then mixed with wine and trinkets. consumed. FOR JEWELLERY AND AMULETS Big cat teeth and claws are in high demand, particularly among men in China and Vietnam who wear them as status symbols. They are widely available in physical markets and online. Teeth of other species – particularly lion and clouded Far left: Leopard skins leopard – may be sold to consumers as tiger. Trafficking on sale in Linxia, China in jaguar teeth from South America to markets in Left: Stuffed tigers for sale Asia has recently emerged as a serious threat. in Laos Chinese consumers purchase big cat products in persistent physical trade hubs in China and in towns near the border in Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam. In some of these locations, such as cities across the HOW ARE Tibetan Plateau, few big cat products are now openly visible for sale CONSUMERS following increased enforcement efforts, but trade continues ACCESSING ‘under the counter’. In other locations, such as Mong La in BIG CAT Myanmar and markets in Laos, trade is conducted PRODUCTS? openly without fear of enforcement. Chinese buyers also buy parts from captive- bred tigers in Vietnam.3 Consumers from China and Vietnam are the key consumers of big cat parts and products. Big cats killed illegally in south Asia are smuggled across the Himalayas into China, including via mountain Sales of big cat products are rampant passes along China’s borders with on many online platforms, particularly India and Nepal. on social media such as Facebook and WeChat. Chinese buyers may purchase Parts and products of wild and items from sellers based in Laos or captive-sourced tigers enter China Vietnam, who will then post the items along its southern border with across the border. Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam. Many facilities with captive tigers in China have also been implicated in trade in tiger parts and products. Tiger parts and products also enter China from Russia in the north-east of the country. Parts from big cats sourced outside Asia – including jaguars in Latin America and lions and leopards in Africa – are transported by air or air SNOW LEOPARD: Vulnerable. mail to consumers in Asia. Pop. 3,920-6,390, decreasing. At least 292 seized from illegal trade since 2000 © EIAimage TACKLING BIG CAT TRADE - LEGISLATION AND ENFORCEMENT Illegal big cat trade is serious Data on seizures of big cat parts and transnational organised crime, impacting products from illegal trade raise some not just big cats and their ecosystems but serious questions. For example, although exacerbating wider criminality, corruption we know teeth and claws are very and governance issues and affecting prominent in illegal trade and highly communities in range, transit and desired by consumers, seizure figures consumer states. Some of the individuals do not reflect this, suggesting most involved in illegal trade in big cats are are slipping through the net. More involved in other serious crimes, such as intelligence-led investigations, including drug and human trafficking. on social media, are urgently needed. To effectively tackle big cat trade, Moreover, it is not enough to simply governments and enforcement agencies seize items from trade – seizures must must treat it as a serious organised crime, be followed up by prosecutions and and should focus on intelligence-led deterrent sentencing. If criminals face no investigations, with inter-agency and consequences after items are seized, they international cooperation where may simply treat the loss as a business appropriate. In many cases, the cost and harvest more of the wildlife platforms for such cooperation product to compensate. In order to secure already exist, such as regional the most deterrent sentences, prosecutors wildlife enforcement networks and judiciary should make use of the full and UN agreements on range of applicable legislation in wildlife transnational organised cases, including anti-money laundering crime and corruption and anti-corruption laws, and should – but political will is utilise seizure of assets and illegal income needed to put these alongside fines and custodial sentences. into action. LEOPARD IN ASIA: Vulnerable. Pop. 12,000-17,000, decreasing. At least 5,042 seized from illegal Top: Big cat parts openly for sale in Laos. trade since 2000 CLOUDED LEOPARD: Vulnerable. Pop. decreasing. At least 95 seized from illegal trade since 2000 POLICIES STIMULATING DEMAND: LEGAL TRADE The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) currently permits export of lion parts from captive animals in South Africa. Recent studies have found that Laos and Vietnam are the biggest importers and that lion parts then enter illegal international trade to reach consumer markets, where lion parts are often marketed to consumers as tiger. This supply perpetuates the desirability of big cat products and complicates efforts to tackle illegal big cat trade. Laws in China, Laos, Myanmar and South Africa currently allow domestic trade in big cat parts and products, including large-scale commercial trade of leopard bone © EIAimage products in China.4 Legal markets for big cat products serve to make them seem acceptable in the Top: Tonic wine containing eye of the consumer and provide leopard bone, sold legally in opportunities for ‘laundering’ of China. illegally sourced products. Bottom: Lions in a captive facility in China TIGER: Endangered. Pop. <4,000, decreasing. At least 1,912 seized from illegal trade since 2000 POLICIES STIMULATING DEMAND: COMMERCIAL KEEPING AND BREEDING Demand for tiger parts and products is Captive facilities have become exacerbated by the widespread availability increasingly significant sources of tiger of parts of captive tigers; 7,000-8,000 parts in illegal trade (see Chart 1 overleaf). tigers are held in captivity in facilities in China, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and Captive tiger facilities in China, Thailand, South Africa.5 The vast majority of these Laos, Vietnam and South Africa are of facilities offer no conservation benefit particular concern due to a combination to wild tigers and many have been of weak laws or enforcement regulating implicated in trade in tiger parts trade from captive facilities; incidents and products. Trade in captive of trade in tiger parts and products from tiger parts exacerbates the and through captive facilities; and links perceived availability between organised crime networks and and acceptability of tiger facilities. tiger products among Facilities implicated in trade in tiger parts consumers and and products vary considerably in size undermines and nature, from large-scale businesses enforcement with hundreds of tigers, even 1000+ tigers, and demand- in speed-breeding operations, to small reduction “backyard” operations where tigers are efforts. raised for slaughter but not bred from. Chart 1: Below: Examples of the different scale of captive tiger operations engaged in trade in parts and derivatives: Name of facility Country Number of tigers Involvement in trade6 Has a brewery to produce tiger bone wine, which is sold Xiongsen Bear and China 1,300 online. Some sales of tiger bone appear to have been Tiger Mountain Village permitted by a Government scheme. Reported to sell tiger bone ‘glue’, and repeatedly implicated in tiger trafficking to and from Thailand Vinasakhone Tiger Laos 69 and Vietnam.