China's proposal to lift ban on trade in tiger bone opposed
Conservationists and neighbouring governments say they are determined to block a Chinese proposal to lift a ban on the sale of medicines made from tiger bone.
At this week's Global Tiger Forum - a meeting of government officials and tiger experts in Nepal's capital, Kathmandu - a delegation of Chinese officials presented information they said showed the medical value of tiger bone, and claimed tiger farms could meet demand while protecting the creatures in the wild.
'The reason we banned trade in tiger is because we could not successfully breed the tiger in captivity,' said Xu Yanchun, a professor at Harbin's Northeast Forestry University. 'Now we can.'
Wang Wei, deputy director-general of China's Department of Wildlife Conservation, said the ban had cost China US$4 billion.
A medical expert presented data showing that 69.3 per cent of patients with bone disorders want to be treated with tiger products.
Conservationists are determined to block the move. 'This is make or break time for me,' said Belinda Wright, director of the Wildlife Preservation Society of India. 'If we lose this fight then we've lost the battle to save tigers in the wild. This is the closest we've ever got.'