Today, fewer than 4,000 tigers remain in the wild, but as many as 8,000 are still being held captive across China, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam.
Some of these tiger facilities across Asia are licensed by national governments and are open to the public. Many are promoted and marketed as zoos, conservation centers, or tourist entertainment venues. But most are basically factory farms, speed-breeding tigers like livestock to satisfy mainly Chinese and Vietnamese demand for their body parts. The rest are small-scale basement or backyard breeding mills existing outside the law.
According to The National Geographic,the tiger breeding industry is still rampant throughout Asia and it’s fueling the illegal wildlife trade. Captive-bred tigers slip into the illegal international trade and feed a growing demand for tiger products, primarily in China. Especially popular are tiger pelts, which are used in luxury home decor, and their bones, an ingredient in expensive tiger-bone wine. This high-end market places a huge price tag on the head of every remaining tiger, and the wild populations are being decimated.
Image: World Animal Protection
The commercial international trade in tigers and their parts has been banned since 1987 after a vote by CITES, an international treaty regulating the wildlife trade. In 2007, the CITES parties approved a measure stating that tigers shouldn’t be bred for trade either. Yet captive tigers are increasingly showing up alongside wild tigers on the illegal wildlife market.
Captive tiger breeding is a huge problem throughout Asia, but particularly in Thailand. These animals are being bred to fuel the cruel wildlife tourism and traditional medicine industries. At wildlife tourist attractions in Thailand, the baby tigers spend their lives being used and exploited as photo props for tourist selfies. When they are no longer cute or become too difficult to control, the tigers are then killed to meet the demand for traditional Asian medicine.
World Animal Protection is now urging Thailand authorities to enforce a ban on captive tiger breeding by 2020. The hope is that without captive breeding, fewer tigers will become victims of this horrific cycle of exploitation and abuse. Tigers are wildlife and all wild animals belong in the wild, but unfortunately the tiger cubs bred in captivity will never get to live in their natural environment.
Image: World Animal Protection
Just like all animals suffering in the tourism industry, captive-bred cubs at tourist attractions endure immense cruelty. They’re kept in barren enclosures, with limited access to fresh food and water. Baby animals in tourism are cruelly trained, chained, and forced to frequently interact with visitors. They are forced to take selfies with tourists all day long, while loud noises and constant camera flashes surround them.
An official ban on captive tiger breeding from Thailand authorities would be a significant step in the right direction, since captive breeding continues to fuel the abusive tourism industry. Any captive animal that is being forced to perform tricks or take selfies with tourists is suffering immense abuse behind-the-scenes. And when they are not cute anymore, their future becomes even more grim. Ongoing investigations are still finding that many tigers in tourism end up killed for their body parts, used in traditional medicine and as home decorations.
What an evil culture! I would never visit these horrible countries where they torture and abuse animals like this! They will NEVER get my tourist dollars! UGH!! Disgusting & evil! Karma will get them, sooner or later
ASIA SERIOUSLY NEEDS TO GET RID OF THESE “FARMS.”
This is the lowest form of human depravity ever
The only way animal abuse stands a chance of ending, is when, humans beings die out all together, as bad as it sounds, it appears to be the reality
Why is there so much animal torture, murder, abuse and exploitation in the Far East? Of course it happens everywhere. However, dog murder festivals are here also. DO NOT BUY IMPORTS.
Predictable, isn’t it, that our pathetic leaders in the West continue to let this happen, when they could easily make stopping this a precondition for Western Aid. I wish a pox on our leaders and the people in Asia who do this.
Stop the Cruel Marketing of Tigers!!! This Heinous Exploitation of Autonomous , Intelligent Social World Reknown Endangered Species Have a God Given Right to Live a Natural Life!
Boy, these asian countries will eat anything that breathes. What is wrong with those “people”(and I use the term very loosely) that they have to have the body parts of these exotic animals? They are quite primitive and definitely in the Neanderthal ages in thinking that these animal parts is some sort of magical healing medicine. The more I‘ve learned about their strange and brutal behaviors, the less of a “human being” I see them as.
All of the thingd I have just read are wrong!! It is no way tigers should be used this way. I find it despicable. To treat these beautiful animals in such a manner.
Save these tigers
These farms need closing down…hideously cruel
Disgusted that this is till happening. Stupid tourists are only enabling this atrocity to continue. Make this illegal now!
Ban the tiger industry. Tigers and other wild animals should be freed in the wild, and also body parts of tigers and other animals should not be sold. How horrible and sad many humans treat animals.
Tigers are not exhibits. They are magnificent animals, one of many of Gods’ many wonderful creations. They should be left alone in the wild not humiilated.
https://www.dnaindia.com/world/report-king-bhumibol-losing-a-king-and-a-true-animal-lover-2265053
Follow in the footsteps of King Bhumibol who was a true animal lover.
Release these tigers into their natural habitat. They were not born to live their lives on chains and to pose with tourists for photo ops. Stop torturing them and killing them for primitive products that have no value. They were born free.
Its impossible to keep comments peaceful and friendly about these idiotic airheads that’s committing these horrible acts towards these beautiful, innocent creatures who sre being abused and whose lives are being horribly taken away from them. These idiots know who they are and will have to and are going to pay for the way they treated these living creatures on earth. They will see. Also, like i said before, the laws keep letting them get away with these actions, which make them as bad as the heartless criminals. All sicko’s. I’ve signed so many petitions. It just breaks your heart that this sort of thing keeps going on and on. WHAT A WORLD!
What is wrong with the humans in the FarEast? Is there a chip or 2 missing in their mentality?
The horrid torture of dogs by the thousands is heinous enough.
And they raise mire animals to abuse, torture and murder.
SO CRUEL — depravedly indifferent — downright unconscionable.
The Asian countries will feel the wrath of God for animal cruelty! That’s why their being hit with typhoons and earthquakes! Hopefully the Japanese will stop the illegal whaling and animal cruelty laws will be enforced in China, release the exotic animals let them be FREE as God intended them to be! Above all END WORTHLESS money pits of WORTHLESS CHINESE SO-CALLED MEDICINE, that’s been proven to be worthless! No more tiger wine and bones!
What in the heck is going on with these eastern asian countries that refuse to adapt to current times. Thinking that animal body parts, especially ebdangered species cures medical problems is absolutely nuts. I must say i always thought that most asian countries were scavengers and spineless snakes.
Look after animals, stop cruelty!
on devrait strictement interdire de capturer nii utiliser les tigres il faut que le gouvernement laisse les animaux en liberte surtout les preserver pour l avenir
Asian people in some of these Countries ate so cruel and uncivilized. What hole did they come from.
WE MUST ALL TAKE A STAND TO STOP THESE CRUEL,VILE AND ABUSIVE AND INSANE ACTIONS OF HUMANS ON .THESE POOR INNOCENT ANIMALS.
black&white, night&day, war&peace, Asia&animals
Those Asians are such awful people when it comes to animals. They need to leave animals alone. They obviously don’t know how to treat animals.
The measure of a people. You are failing miserably.
Wild animals should be free in a sanctuary not toys for stupid humans.
Set the tigers Free, It is your countrys chance to show the world you are progressing!!
let the tigers free. They should be allowed to live in the wild where they belong.
Let the tigers free and be wild again. They are NOT PETS! Is this what you want your country to be REMEMBERED FOR – DESTROYING the LAST REMAINING WILD TIGERS?
I don’t think so.
Ya don’t forget about the enslaved elephants who are broken down and beaten for up to 20 hours a day so they can be groomed for people to get on their already arthritic backs, don’t forget about the FULLY CONSCIENCE cats and dogs who are tortured alive because it makes the meat taste “better” if they are tortured, don’t forget the repulsive traveling circus’s these p.o.s haul around dolphins in coffin size bathtubs & force them to do stupid tricks by covering there blowholes if they Refuse, not to mention the thousands of dolphins slaughtered in TAJI. I’d say it’s looking like some pretty sadistic Asian [email protected]$ks who would rather make their money enslaving and exploiting animals than getting a real job! If you have to force someone to do a job, so YOU can get payed you’ve just made them your slave. There needs to be world wide ban with this!
You have got the nail on the head. I too abhor all of these attrocities carried out on innocent animals.
It is an animal holocaust!
let an animal be an animal, they should not be made to do tricks, etc…stop it now…
BOYCOTT THAILAND & EVERY OTHER NATION THAT EMBRACES THIS BARBARISM.
Hey, Beth Jones, I guess you gotta boycott the United States as well. Trophy hunters, inhumane slaughterhouses, and high-kill shelters are the norm, in case you didn’t know.
Okay folks, let’s not forget Western countries (including the U.S.) that have bronco-busting rodeos/w wrangling, traveling circuses, alligator wrestling, chickens/turkeys/cattle raised in factory farms, predator stomping, leg-hold trapping, trophy hunting, horse breaking, seal clubbing, chicken tossing from roof tops, pig stuffing, rat beheading, snake burning, etc. Remember, we are hypocrites if we scorn/boycott one country/region for it’s cruelty, when we are inflicting harm as well.
Well said Steve.