IUCN / SSC Cat Specialist Group - Digital Cat Library |
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| Eia, | |
| A deadly game of cat and mouse: tiger criminals give China the run-around | |
| 2009 Full Book | |
In August 2009, EIA completed an investigation into the illegal trade in Asian big cats in China and documented the availability of tiger skin, bone and teeth, leopard skin and bone, and snow leopard skin. Using historical intelligence, analysis and suspect-profiling, EIA investigators targeted retail premises in five cities in Qinghai, Gansu and Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR), and attended one horse festival in TAR. Traders described trafficking routes, methodologies of concealment and revealed substantial information on the dynamics of the trade. All this could facilitate targeted operations by the professional enforcement community. Traders were aware of the scarcity of wild tigers and of the forthcoming Chinese Year of the Tiger and view this as an opportunity to increase profits. The market for skins among the Tibetan community continues to decline except in areas where government employees are reportedly forced to wear skins. The condition of many of the skins and statements from the traders indicates that the use of skins for home d‚cor, taxidermy and bribery continues to be the primary market, reinforcing the trend seen since 2006. Traders stated that the military, Han Chinese businesspersons and public officials are the main customers for skins, and that Han Chinese individuals and wholesalers are the buyers of bone. EIA investigators encountered traders that had been documented as operating in previous years in areas where local corruption and the absence of enforcement prevails. Confidential intelligence reports have been passed to INTERPOL and the CITES Secretariat. As a matter of urgency, the government of the Peoples' Republic of China (PRC) should establish a specialised multi-agency enforcement unit that has the skills and resources to proactively investigate criminal networks engaged in trafficking and selling Asian big cat parts and derivatives. The unit should have the authority to operate at a national level, in order to overcome local corruption, and engage with international enforcement bodies, such as INTERPOL, World Customs Organisation (WCO), and CITES Secretariat. The Government of the PRC must stop sending mixed messages to user groups by declaring a permanent ban in _all _trade in _all _parts and derivatives of tigers and other Asian big cats, in addition to consolidating and destroying stockpiles and supporting international efforts by phasing out tiger farms. Government and non-government consumer awareness and anticorruption campaigns need to keep pace with the changing patterns of consumption and target emerging user groups. Irrespective of proposed regional enforcement agreements, neighbouring source and transit countries need to immediately use existing channels for communicating intelligence on transnational criminal networks and for coordinating international investigations (INTERPOL, WCO and CITES). Donors should increase investment in existing intergovernmental enforcement bodies (INTERPOL, WCO and CITES), and their relevant national points of contact, creating a network of operational enforcement professional support dedicated to combating Asian big cat trade. |
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