Tag Archives: China
Irish horn gangs, “shaving alive technology,” and unanswered questions: Rhino conservationists are worried
A South African rhino kept at Ho Chi Minh City zoo in Vietnam. Credit: S. Watts, Humane Society International
Conservationists were left feeling unsettled about the future of rhinos after the CITES’ (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) meeting in Geneva last week. During a special panel on rhinoceros, the CITES Secretariat failed to produce any tangible recommendations, despite the rhino situation being described as “almost out of control” by one delegation. China, assumed to be the main culprit for illegal rhino horn trafficking used in traditional medicine, evaded questions and provided only vague answers—as usual. Conservationists struggled to piece together answers while strategizing to save the world’s quickly declining rhino populations. Continue reading
China condones tiger extinction by legalizing skin trade, then refuses to answer for it
The entrance to Harbin Siberian Tiger Park in Harbin, China.
A woman shrieks in horrific glee as the 400-pound tiger lunges at the helplessly dangling chicken. Onlookers goad on the poultry-wielding man as he torturously teases the huge beasts with their ruffled, terrified prey. The tigers—at least 20 of them—throw themselves at the flimsy fence, attempting to snatch the live snack. At last, to the delight of the crowd, the limp bird is tossed into the writhing tiger pit. It is immediately enveloped in a pile of hungry orange, and the crowd of tourists disperses, their appetites satiated. No, this isn’t a deranged scene from Gladiator: it’s a tiger farm in modern China.