27 September 2006
Threat to tigers remains
The Wildlife Protection Society of India (WPSI) and the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA), a London-based NGO, have accused India and China of doing almost nothing to stem the rapid decline of tigers in the wild. At a press conference in New Delhi, WPSI and EIA presented images of tiger and leopard skins still openly for sale in Tibetan markets. In some images, Chinese police officers posed with people wearing clothing made of tiger skins. "In China, the police have decided to turn a blind eye to the slaughter of tigers in India", despite tough laws against trading in endangered animals, said Belinda Wright, director of the WPSI. Following a move started in 2004 by the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) and the UK-based Care for the Wild International (CWI), in early 2006, the Dalai Lama denounced the practice by Tibetans to wear tiger and other wildlife pelts on ceremonial garments, leading to spectacular mass-burnings of animal skins all over Tibet. While acknowledging this, Wright said that now "Chinese businessmen are buying it for home decor".