South Africa’s tiger farms, the largest outside Asia, are reportedly involved in the illegal trade of tiger body parts, according to a report by animal welfare charity Four Paws. The research uncovered 103 facilities housing tigers between 2023 and 2024, with several breeding them to supply traditional medicine markets in China and Vietnam. The report identified three networks, including criminal syndicates advertising “tiger products” like tiger bone glue. Although international trade in tiger parts has been banned since 1975, the illegal market persists, threatening wild populations of the big cat. As of February 2024, South Africa is home to 626 captive tigers. However, the study that provided these numbers was missing data from two provinces, including KwaZulu-Natal, suggesting there might be more tigers than reported. Pretoria has strong regulations protecting lions, native to South Africa. However, the reverse is the case for tigers, which are non-native, making them targets for breeders.
SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN
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