26 September 2005
China considers reopening tiger trade
(U.S. Newswire) China is considering reopening the domestic trade in tigers and tiger parts, banned there since 1993. China's plans appear to be limited to the trade of captive-bred tigers for traditional medicine from so-called 'tiger farms'. But World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and other organisations believe any legal trade would also threaten the world's remaining wild tiger populations by making it easier to "launder" black market tiger parts. In August 2005, in Lhasa, animal protection investigators found 23 shops openly selling skins and parts of tigers and leopards.