tigers and economics

Because of their high price rate for tiger products, tigers have been “farmed” and help captive for their products.  For over 1000 years, tigers have been hunted for decorative wall and floor coverings, souvenirs, for use in medicine, and have been held captive for tourism purposes.  The high demand for various tiger body parts, such as tiger bones for use in Traditional Chinese medicine in China and Hong Kong, have fueled tiger poaching and trade.  In Indonesia, there is great profit in Sumatran tiger poaching because an individual adult tiger can yield between 13 and 24 pounds of dried bone that can be sold at 50$-100$ per kilo (Marlon, 2011).  Other tiger parts like claws, teeth, and whiskers are well sought after for good luck and protective powers.  A tiger skin is also very valuable in Indonesia, and is worth about 1000-1500$ for an adult Sumatran tiger skin (Marlon).

In lesser economically developed countries like Indonesia where the average annual income was 2400$ in 2009, tiger poaching and illegal wildlife trading is rampant.  In 2009, the Ministry of Forestry estimated that tiger poaching and illegal wildlife trading was at 9 million per year (Marlon).  There is such great profit in tiger trade that in places like China, people have turned to tiger farming.  It is estimated that somewhere between 5000 to 10000 captive-bred tigers live in these speed-breeding factory farms.  Conservation International’s tiger specialist says that farm tigresses produce cubs at 3 times the natural rate, where cubs suckle from other animals so that the tigress can have more young (Jackson).

On the other hand, captive tigers can help some of the world’s poorest communities by driving tourism.  They are exquisite animals that many tourists would pay to see, and money can be made in communities with economic alternatives.  The Tiger Temple in Thailand was recently seen on Animal Planet, and their daily tours are about 8000 baht for 2 people, or around 230$ USD for the pair (Tiger Temple Thailand, 2008).  However as a leader of the Global Tiger Initiative, the World Bank questions the ethics of these tiger farms and views them as cruel animal practices.  It is not right that these tigers are kept in small cages and are allowed to chase cows or chickens for the amusement of the public (Global Tiger Initiative, 2009).

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