Tigers' last stand: could a radical plan save the world's wild tigers from extinction? The debate roars on.

It is a desperate time for the world's tigers. These majestic cats were once plentiful throughout eastern and southern Asia Now, wild tigers live only in small pockets of India, China, eastern Russia, and a few other countries (see map, right). Conservationists have been working for decades to save the big cats. Despite their efforts, the number of wild tigers continues to dwindle. There were an estimated 100,000 tigers living in the wild a century ago, compared with no more than 5,000 today. Now, a radical new conservation idea is being discussed, gathering support from some people and outraging others. Could this plan finally put a stop to what's driving wild tigers to extinction?

WHERE DID THE TIGERS GO?

As people convert forests to cities and farms, tigers have steadily lost habitat. On top of that, poaching--the illegal hunting of wild animals--is a major threat to the cat's survival.

People sometimes hunt endangered species, like the tiger, to illegally sell the animal's body parts for souvenirs, traditional medicines, and even as food, says Liz Bennett, a tiger expert at the Wildlife Conservation Society in New York. Some people are willing to pay high prices to buy tiger skins or other endangered-species parts on the black market--a term used to describe a place or system for selling goods illegally. By selling just one tiger, poachers can make enough money to support themselves for a full year, says Bennett.

ANCIENT MEDICINE

One of the major factors that drives the illegal trade of tiger parts in some regions of the world stems from the belief that the animal's body has medicinal properties. For more than 3,000 years, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has used tiger parts to treat sickness and injury (see Nuts & Bolts, right). Followers of TCM believe that eating the animal's body parts will help cure ailments. For instance, a tonic made of tiger-bone powder and herbs is used to treat bone injuries and diseases, like arthritis, a painful inflammation of the body's joints.

In an effort to help protect wild tigers, most licensed practitioners of TCM strongly disapprove of the use of tiger parts in remedies, says Lixin Huang, president of the American College of Traditional Chinese Medicine in San Francisco. In 1993, the Chinese government removed tiger parts from its official list of TCM ingredients, and also banned the commercial trade of tiger goods.

Still, many people around the world continue to buy and sell tiger products. "They do not realize that the wild tigers are at risk of becoming extinct," says Bennett.

Huang has teamed up with conservationists to educate these followers of TCM, urging them to use legal and effective substitutes for tiger parts. Her goal is to ensure that TCM and tiger conservation work hand-in-hand.

DESPERATE MEASURES?

Conservationists believe that a key to saving the world's wild tigers from extinction is to put an end to poaching of tigers--and also the prey which they eat. To achieve that, Bennett says, more police need to be trained to catch the hunters and take them to court. In addition, she calls for a crackdown on the sale and trade of products made from endangered species on the black market.

Judy Mills, a tiger expert from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation's Save the Tiger Fund, agrees. She is working with governments in countries including India and China to help find ways to enforce and strengthen existing anti-poaching measures.

Some conservationists believe these traditional methods are not enough. "The wild tiger is doomed," says Cory Meacham, a professor at the Extension to the University of California at San Diego and author of a book about tiger conservation. He believes that new and more-drastic experiments need to be tried in the effort to save wild tigers. He supports an unconventional proposal: Legalize the sale of farm-raised tiger parts.

CAT FARMERS

In China, there are establishments known as tiger farms. There, tourists are allowed to ride in protected vehicles and observe captive tigers. The animals live in cages or corrals, like cows on a ranch, and are fed by human caretakers. Each year, dozens of the captive tigers die of natural causes. Some people, like Meacham, believe that these tigers' parts should be sold for use in TCM. But this practice is currently illegal.

Supporters of tiger-part farming say the measure, if legalized, could help ward off poachers. They reason that there are plenty of deceased farmed tigers. If their body parts were made easily available to the public, the tigers' value would plunge on the black market. As a result, poachers would be unable to profit from the sale of wild tiger parts.

Meacham believes this tactic is worth a try. But "if [tiger farming] is proven to be unsuccessful, I will be the first to say, 'Stop the farming!'"

Most conservationists, however, do not want to test the idea in the first place. They don't believe farming will solve the problem. "It costs as little as $20 for someone to catch a tiger using a simple snare," says Mills, "whereas it costs thousands of dollars for a farm to raise one tiger from infancy until adulthood." Therefore she believes that it would remain profitable for poachers to continue to trap wild tigers.

Another fear is that poachers will sell wild-tiger parts but claim they came from farmed tigers. There is no way to tell the difference between a farmed and wild tiger, says Mills. Because of this, she believes that tiger poaching will dramatically increase if the farming of tigers for their body parts is legalized.

Many conservationists think this debate might be avoided if people become more educated about the plight of the animals. "People's attitudes change more if they understand that they are endangering the animals," says Bennett.

What do YOU think? Is tiger farming a good idea, or will it further endanger wild tigers?

nuts & bolts

in traditional Chinese medicine, nearly every part of the tiger has been used. To safeguard the endangered cat, most practioners now refuse such remedies.

TAIL To treat skin disorders, the tail was ground up and used as a salve.

BONES The most powerful part of the tiger, its bones, were ground up and mixed into a tonic to enhance muscles.

BLOOD A tonic made of the cat's blood was said to give a person strength.

EYES The tiger's eyes were made into pills to cure eye disorders such as cataracts, a clouding of the lens.

WHISKERS A tonic containing the cat's whiskers was said to cure a toothache.

FEET The tiger's small feet bones were tied to a child's wrist to cure convulsions.

web extra

For more information about tigers and the threats they face, visit: www.panda.org/about_wwf/where_we_work/asia_pacific/our_programmes/ tiger_programme/tiger_species/index.cfm

PRE-READING PROMPTS

* Jump-start your lesson with these pre-reading questions:

* The largest single population of wild tigers lives in eastern Russia; an estimated 400 to 450 tigers reside there. Do you know how many wild tigers remain in the world? Where do you think they live?

* Captive tigers can live for approximately 20 years. Wild tigers can live for about 10 to 15 years--but most do not live that long. What factors may be lowering the wild tiger's average age of mortality?

* The orange and brown stripes on a tiger are found not only on its fur; the pattern is also featured on its skill. Tiger skin is prized by many people, but since the animal is endangered, it is unlawful to commercially trade tiger pelts and other tiger products. Despite this fact, tiger products are still being illegally traded. What drives this market?

CRITICAL THINKING:

* Do you think the sale of farm-raised tiger paris should be legalized? Explain your reasoning.

CROSS-CURRICULAR CONNECTIONS:

SOCIAL STUDIES: Many cultures have their own form of traditional healing practices. Have each student select a culture's healing practice. Then, have him or her do research to create a fact sheet about the practice. Instruct each student to include information such as where and how the practice began and a description of the healing methods.

RESOURCES

* For background information on the illegal tiger trade, read an executive summary from TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade-monitoring network. Find it at: www.traffic.org/tigers/executivesummary.html

* To listen to a story on tiger farming, visit this Web site from the National Public Radio: www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyid=6546127

* For a fact sheet on traditional Chinese medicine, visit this site from the University of Maryland Medical Center: www.umm.edu/altmed/ConsModalities/TraditionalChineseMedicinecm.html

* Visit the Save the Tiger Fund's Web site to learn more about tiger conservation. Go to: www.savethetigerfund.org/

* How The Tiger Lost Its Stripes, by Cory J. Meacham, Harcourt Brace & Company, 1997.

DIRECTIONS: Defend or dispute the following. (Hint: Defend means to explain why a statement is correct. Dispute means to explain why a statement is incorrect.)

1. Tigers are thriving all over eastern and southern Asia.

2. Poachers threaten the survival of wild tigers.

3. Today, most licensed practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine use tiger parts to treat patients.

4. Some people believe that the sale of farm-raised tiger parts should become legalized.

5. Many conservationists support legalizing the farming of tiger parts as a measure to ward off poachers.

1. Dispute: Tigers once could be found throughout eastern and southern Asia Now, wild tigers live only in small pockets in China, India, eastern Russia, and a few other countries The number of tigers living in the wild has dwindled from an estimated 100,000 a century ago, to no more than 5,000 today.

2. Defend: People hunt the tiger to illegally sell the animal's body parts for souvenirs, traditional medicines, and even as food Some people are willing to pay high prices to buy tiger paris on the black market. By selling just one tiger, poachers could make enough money to support themselves for a full year That's why tiger poaching persists.

3. Dispute: In an effort to help protect wild tigers, most licensed practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) strongly disapprove of the use of tiger parts in remedies. In 1993, the Chinese government removed tiger parts from its official list of TOM ingredients, and also banned the commercial trade of tiger goods.

4. Defend: Some people believe that the sale of farm raised tiger parts should become legalized because the measure could help ward off poachers. They reason that there are plenty of captive tigers that die of natural causes each year. If their body parts were made easily available to the public, the tiger's value would plunge on the black market As a result, poachers would be unable to profit from the sale of wild tiger parts

5. Dispute: Most conservationists do not believe farming of tiger parts will ward off poachers That's because it costs as little as $20 for someone to catch a wild tiger using a simple snare, whereas it costs thousands of dollars for a farm to raise one tiger from infancy until adulthood. Therefore, it would remain profitable for poachers to continue to sell wild tigers. Another fear is that poachers will sell wild-tiger parts but claim they are from farms. There is no way to tell the difference between a farmed and wild tiger. Because of this, tiger poaching will dramatically increase.