Monday, March 12, 2007

Reporting in the Daily Mail Danny Penman exposes the plight of tigers and other endangered species being farmed on an industrial scale in China.

At the Xiongsen Animal Park near Guilin in South-East China, Penman reveals that visitors can dine on strips of stir-fried tiger with ginger and Chinese vegetables.

Writes Penman: "Also on the menu are tiger soup and a spicy red curry made with tenderised strips of the big cat. Visitors can wash it down with a glass or two of wine made from Siberian tiger bones.

"A waitress at the farm's restaurant tells me proudly: 'The tiger meat is produced here. It's our business. When Government officials come here, we kill a tiger for them so they have fresh meat. Other visitors are given meat from tigers killed in fights. We now have 140 tigers in the freezer. We also sell lion meat, bear's paw, crocodile and snake. The bear's paw has to be ordered in advance as it takes a long time to cook.'

Contravenes Chinese and International Law

"The waitress clearly does not care that she is selling meat and wine from endangered species. She is not worried that selling them is against Chinese and International Law, and helps to drive the poaching that is driving tigers to extinction.

"Tigers and other endangered species are being reared on an industrial scale throughout China, despite international treaties forbidding this. The Mail discovered three factory farms breeding tigers in China. The Guilin farm alone has 1,300 tigers, including the incredibly rare and elusive Siberian sub-species.

SCANDAL OF THE FACTORY FARM TIGERS

FOR MORE information about the trade in endangered species see http://ifaw.org ....................... ...

"It rears and slaughters Bengal, South China and White tigers. More than 300 African lions and 400 Asiatic black bears are also reared here for food and tradional Chinese medicines.

"The Chinese authorities claim that farms like the one at Guilin are a vital part of the country's conservation efforts and that they will one day release these endangered creatures back into the wild."

But Penman concludes: "The fact is that these animals could never survive in the wild. Having spent their lives in tiny, battery-style units, they cannot hunt and would be dead within days of being released. Each shed at the farm - and I saw at least 100 - houses between three and five tigers in a space no larger than a typical family living room. In relative terms, they have about as much space as a battery hen."