China’s Threat To Wild Tigers

Because the scope of China’s trade in tiger products remains so murky, other nations must demand answers and accountability from China at the convention’s meeting next month.

We need to know, for instance, whether and how deeply government officials are involved in the black market and whether China is tacitly allowing the domestic sale of tiger products. It’s an embarrassing list of questions for President Xi Jinping, who has made rooting out corruption a top priority.

Wild tigers are on life support. The world must persuade China to phase out its tiger farms, end all commerce in tigers and commit to cooperative international conservation and enforcement efforts. If not, the largest of the world’s cats will not survive.