Two decades ago, the tigers found in Asia come up to 100,000, but now only 3,200 remain in the wild, according to U.N. Willem Wijnstekers, the secretary general of the 175-nation Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, or CITES.
He appealed countries to come up with strategies, and cooperate with international agencies such as Interpol, to put an end to poaching and illegal trade in tiger products.
"We must admit that we have failed miserably," Wijnstekers said at the two-week conference in the Gulf state of Qatar. "Although the tiger has been prized throughout history ... it is now literally on the verge of extinction."
Not only are tigers poached for their skins,they are also hunted down relentlessly for parts of their bodies which are prized for decoration and traditional medicine.
Delegates at the U.N. conference will also consider the spike in rhino poaching and tactics to combat criminal networks involved in the illicit trade in horns in parts of Africa and Asia. All in all, there are 42 proposals on the table, ranging from stopping elephant poaching to banning trade in polar bear skins.
Later this week, an all-out ban on the export of Atlantic bluefin will also become the agenda, a contentious issue that has the countries of Asia and the West locking horns over a fish prized in sushi.
Global stocks of bluefin are diminishing, particularly in the Atlantic, and some governments around the world are increasingly supporting a complete trade ban to let the fish recover.
The issue pits the Europeans and Americans against fishing nations in North Africa and Asia, of which Japan has already vowed to ignore any bluefin ban.
Some 80 percent of the species fished lands in Japan. Raw tuna is a key ingredient in traditional delicacies such as sushi and sashimi, and the bluefin variety _ called "hon-maguro" in Japan _ is particularly prized.
A bid to regulate the trade in red and pink corals harvested to make expensive jewelry could also divide the delegates.
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ReplyDeleteThat's right,tigers are indeed on the brink of extinction.I pity these creatures.They may look menacing,but they are not at all dangerous.And why they are poached so relentlessly..I don't no why human's their skin and body parts so much.Do they really want to trade their wealth and happiness for the dear lives of these poor beings?
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