The researchers, from organisations including the Wildlife Protection Society of India (WPSI), World Wildlife Fund, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, College of Life Sciences, Beijing, and the Department of Zoology, Oxford University, found that 43 per cent of respondents had consumed some product alleged to contain tiger parts. Within this user-group, 71 per cent said that they preferred products from wild rather than farmed tigers. Eighty eight per cent knew that it was illegal to buy or sell tiger products, and 93 per cent agreed that a ban on the trade in tiger parts was necessary to conserve wild tigers. The results indicate that while the urban Chinese are generally supportive of tiger conservation, there is still a huge demand for tiger products, making education and the maintenance of the ban on those products critical for the survival of wild tigers.
To see the entire report, go to www.plosone.org/doi/pone.0002544
August 2008
