Did you know that there are more tigers in captivity than in the jungles?

In the US alone, more than 5,000 tigers are privately owned and kept as exotic pets. This is more than the estimated 3,900 tigers in the wild throughout the world.

A tiger can be purchased for upwards of US$300 in the US, which is less than the cost of a purebred dog.

Did you know that there are such things as tiger farms? There are an estimated 8,000 of these majestic animals in tiger farms in China, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam. Tiger farms are captive facilities that breed tigers to supply or directly engage in the commercial trade of tiger parts or products.

No one knows how many tigers are kept captive in other countries, although the number is likely to be much. much smaller.

And did you know that superpower rivals China and the United States are also the leading “competitors” in the world when it comes to trade in tiger parts?

China is the main destination and largest consumer of tiger parts, but the US, it appears, is not far behind.

We know that the US regularly comes up with reports on how other countries fare in such areas as human rights, democracy and human trafficking, or lists such as a list of corrupt and undemocratic leaders.

It also releases a wildlife trafficking report in which it lists countries which it terms “focus countries” and “countries of concern”, the latter being more serious.

The US’ 2021 END (eliminate, neutralise and disrupt) Wildlife Trafficking Report places Malaysia in the “focus countries” list of 28 but not in the “countries of concern” list. “Focus countries” are those which are a “major source of wildlife trafficking products or their derivatives, a major transit point of wildlife trafficking products or their derivatives, or a major consumer of wildlife trafficking products”.

Six countries – Cambodia, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Laos, Madagascar and Nigeria are its countries of concern. These are the countries where, the US says, “there are serious concerns that either high-level or systemic government involvement has occurred” in wildlife trafficking.

But how is the US itself doing?

A study released earlier this month said the US may have been responsible for almost half of the illegal tiger trade in the recent past.

According to the study by the Earth Institute at Columbia University, published in “Conservation Science and Practice”, the US’s role in the illegal tiger trade has been underestimated.

The institute, which investigated the extent and attributes of tiger parts entering the US between 2003 and 2012, found that there were 292 seizures of tiger parts that had illegally entered the US in those years and that San Francisco, Dallas, and Atlanta were the main entry points.

“People in the US have this false notion that the illegal trade in tiger parts is half a world away. In reality, we in the US are involved in and driving a large portion of the illegal trade,” lead author Sarika Khanwilkar said.

The new data shows that the US’ import seizures represented almost half (46.8%) of global seizures.

Khanwilkar and her associates found that of the 65.8% of seized parts with a known origin, 99.5% came from wild tigers.

“The majority of seized products were imported from China and Vietnam (34.2% and 29.5%, respectively). However, a lack of data about the country of origin (which can be different to the country of export) made it difficult to determine trafficking routes or understand where wild tigers were poached to supply the trade,” she said.

The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) says the equivalent of 1,004 whole tigers were seized from traffickers between 2000 and 2018 in Southeast Asia.

Tigers, it says, have become extinct in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam, with significant declines in Malaysia, Myanmar and to a lesser extent, Thailand.

“Indiscriminate, commercial scale snaring is the greatest threat to tigers in Southeast Asia. There are an estimated 12 million snares on the ground throughout protected areas in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam – countries where tigers are already locally extinct and a sign of what the rest of the region faces without strong action to stop this crisis,” WWF adds.

WWF notes that about 8,000 tigers are in captivity in China, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam. The number of these farms, it laments, have increased over the years, with more tigers living in captivity than in the wild.

“Since the 1990s, some people – including those with business investments in Asia’s tiger farms – have suggested that supplying bone and other products from farmed tigers would alleviate the demand for wild tiger parts and products for various uses, including in traditional medicines, and thereby contribute to wild tiger conservation.

“On the contrary, these farms perpetuate the demand for tiger products and provide cover for the illegal trade of wild tigers and their parts. The movement of tiger parts from these captive facilities, both legally and illegally, makes it difficult for law enforcement to distinguish between parts that have come from poached wild tigers or captive-bred tigers. These farms also contribute to confusion among consumers and legitimise the use and purchase of such items, meaning wild tigers could face increasing poaching pressure from the growing demand for these tiger products.”

WWF said TRAFFIC’s 2016 report, “Reduced to Skin and Bones Re-examined”, indicated that an average of 110 tigers have been killed and traded each year since 2000. TRAFFIC was established in 1976 by WWF and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature to monitor wildlife trade.

“The true number is surely higher as these figures reflect reported seizures, while much of the trade goes undetected. The report also found that an estimated 30% of live tigers seized between 2012 and 2015 came from captive sources, including farms, zoos, and tourist attractions, highlighting the growing role of these facilities in the illegal trade.”

WWF is leading the push for the adoption of regulations that forbid the breeding of tigers for trade and anything made from tiger parts so as to remove the main economic incentive for captive breeding.

The WWF says while the US doesn’t have tiger farms, it has an estimated 5,000 captive tigers. However, Born Free USA, an animal advocacy organisation, says the number of pet tigers could be between 5,000 and 10,000. These tigers are privately owned and mostly kept as pets.

Keeping a tiger or two adds to the status of the wealthy American. Sometimes, they allow visitors to come and see and pet the tigers.

According to Born Free USA, which works to protect tigers in the wild and keep tigers and other big cats out of captivity, thousands of tigers are kept as pets or held in captivity in roadside zoos across the US.

The tigers, it says, face abuse at every stage of their lives.

“Cubs are commonly taken away from their mothers as soon as they are born so they can be used in exploitative but very lucrative cub petting and photo op events, a practice that can cause lifelong physical and psychological harm, and even death, to the cubs.

“Once the animals grow too large, strong, and unpredictable to be used at these events, they are often sold into the exotic pet industry; warehoused in substandard zoos where they suffer poor conditions, improper diet, and insufficient space, veterinary care, and enrichment; or killed and sold for their parts,” says Born Free USA.

Despite the bleak news regarding tigers, WWF notes several significant success stories, such as the anti-poaching patrols led by Orang Asli in Malaysia’s Belum Temengor Forest Complex which has contributed to a 94% reduction in active snares since 2017.

In Thailand, it says, tigers are dispersing from the Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary into other protected areas thanks to strong protected area management and connectivity.

But it appears that unless the big two – the US and China – actively work to reduce the trade in tiger parts we are unlikely to see much progress.

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of FMT.