The Asian Medicine Trade is probably the largest threat that tigers in the wild face today.For as many as 2,000 years tiger parts have been used to treat a variety of illnesses, and are believed by some to be able to cure diseases of many kinds. Despite the fact that it is illegal to kill tigers, poaching is still abundant and poachers are rewarded for supplying tiger parts to Asian medicine or traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). Almost every tiger part is of great value in Chinese medicine.Although no medical evidence has ever proved that tiger bones are unique in medical abilities, their use is continued to treat rheumatism as well as other osteo ailments.Tiger penis is believed to be a cure for impotency and tiger penis soup is considered to be a culinary delicacy of great value, priced as much as $100 for a bowl.Tiger bone wine is sold for upwards of $1,000, well beyond what an average consumer can afford. As the tiger is revered in Asian culture as a strong, majestic and courageous animal, many worship its beauty and believe that by consuming its heart it will give them the courage and strength of the tiger.As this is the greatest threat to tigers in the wild, many efforts and programs are being undertaken to educate people about this danger to the declining race of the tiger.With the tiger becoming rarer, traders in Chinese medicine substitute tiger parts with those of other cats, such as the leopard and even the clouded leopard, which threatens the survival of those species.When enlisting help from other countries to fight an estimated $10 billion annual black market in wildlife and wildlife parts, second only to trafficking arms and drugs. The tiger is one of the most persecuted animals due to demands for it as a pet, traveling act prop, backyard trophy, or for its skin and bones for the Asian pseudo-medicinal market.
Nearly every part of a tiger including, flesh, fat, claws, eyeballs, tail, bile, teeth, whisker, penis and brain has a prescribed benefit according to the tenets of Chinese medicine.Of all tiger parts, bones are the most valuable. Tiger bone is ground into powder before being made into pills, plasters and decoctions containing herbs. Tiger skin is also valuable in the international market for its ornamental value.
Tiger Eyeball Pills- Take one a day to prevent convulsions Tiger Gallstone Salve -Combine with honey and rub on abscesses as needed. Tiger Bone Powder- Drink with wine at bedtime for spring tonic. Tiger Whiskers Charm - Use as a protection against bullets. Tiger Heart- Take three times a day at mealtimes for courage and cunning. Tiger Tailbone Ointment - Mix with soap and rub on rashes. Tiger Hair Repellent- Burn to drive away centipedes. Tiger Skin- Sit on skin to reduce fever. Tiger Brain Lotion - Mix with oil and rub on body to prevent acne and laziness. Tiger Claw Amulet- Put in your pocket for courage. Tiger Penis - Add to soup and take at bedtime for virility (used as an aphrodisiac) Tiger Fat - Used as a cure for vomiting,dog bites,bleeding,hemorrhoids and scalp aliment in children. Tigers Nose - Used as a cure for epilepsy and childeren convulsions. |
Indian or Bengal Tiger
Siberian or Amur Tiger
South China Tiger
Sumatran Tiger
Javan Tiger Extinct in the 1980`s
Caspian Tiger Extinct in the 1970`s
Bali Tiger Extinct in the 1940`s
The 3,860-mile mangrove forest is one of the big cats' largest natural habitats Only some 100 tigers currently roam the Sundarban forests of Bangladesh, a new survey has discovered, indicating far fewer big cats than previously thought in one of their largest global habitats.
The yearlong survey that ended in April was based on footage from hidden cameras and found the true number of tigers to be between 83 and 130, Agence France-Presse reported.“So plus or minus we have around 106 tigers in our parts of the Sundarbans,” Tapan Kumar Dey, the Bangladesh government’s wildlife conservator it’s a more accurate figure.”
The number represents a precipitous drop from the 440 figure included in the last tiger census in 2004, although experts say in hindsight the earlier calculation may have been inaccurate since it was based on a study of the animals’ paw prints or pugmarks.
The news from Bangladesh is in contrast to South Asian neighbor India — home to about 70% of the global tiger population — where the Environment Ministry said in January that the number of tigers had risen to 2,226 from 1,411 in 2008. There are apparently 74 tigers on the Indian side of the Sundarbans, the mangrove forest that stretches for nearly 4,000 miles across both countries.
Monirul Khan, a zoology professor at Bangladesh’s Jahangirnagar University and the country’s foremost expert on tigers, stressed that the government needs to intervene in order to protect the animals from poaching and their habitat from destruction through development.The number of wild tigers worldwide is currently estimated at just 3,200 compared to 100,000 in 1900, and WWF says they are in danger of soon becoming extinct.
Karnataka: 2010 - 300 - (280 - 320) 2014 (406)
Uttarakhand: 2010 - 227 - (199 - 256) 2014 (340)
Madhya Pradesh: 2010 - 257 - (213 - 301) 2014 (308)
Tamil Nadu: 2010 - 163 - (153 - 173) 2014 (229)
Maharashtra: 2010 - 169 - (155 - 183) 2014 (190)
Assam: 2010 - 143 - (113 - 124) 2014 (167)
Kerala: 2010 - 71 - (67 - 75) 2014 (136)
Uttar Pradesh: 2010 - 118 - (113 - 124) 2014 (117)
Sunderbans: 2010 - 70 - (64 - 90) 2014 (76)
Andhra Pradesh: 2010 - 72 - (65 - 79) 2014 (68)
Chattisgarth: 2010 - 26 - (24 - 27) 2014 (46)
Rajasthan: 2010 - 36 - (35 - 37) 2014 (45)
Bihar: 2010 - 8 - 2014 (28)
Odisha: 2010 - 32 - (20 - 44) 2014 (28)
Arunachal Pradesh: 2010 - No Data - 2014 (28)
Goa: 2010 - No Data - 2014 (5)
North West Bengal: 2010 - No Data - 2014 (3)
Jharkhand: 2010 - 10 - (6 - 14) 2014 ( 3+)
Mizoram: 2010 - 5 - No Data - 2014 (3+)
Total: 2010 - 1,702 (1,520 - 1,909)
2014 - 2,226 (1,945 - 2,491)
Increase: 30.5%
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