"With tiger pelts selling for $20,000 and a single tiger paw pulling down as much as $1,000, the value of a dead tiger has never been higher, according to those who investigate the illegal trade. Recently, the Indian government announced a surge in killings of tigers by poachers, with 88 found dead in 2009, double the previous year. Because figures are based on carcasses found on reserves or tiger parts seized at border crossings, conservationists say the true number is far higher." “All of the demand for tiger parts is coming from China,” said Belinda Wright, executive director of theWildlife Protection Society of India. “Unless the Chinese change their attitude, the tiger has no future on this earth.” GO TO WPSI WEBSITE
The tiger penis is said to go for $5,000 a plate at high end restaurants in China. Male patrons of the expensive dish are convinced they'll receive Viagra benefits and perform like tigers between the sheets.
TIGER BONE IN WINEAND TIGER STEAKS AT THE RESTAURANT
If there is any mystery about what happens to the big cats at Xiongsen Tiger and Bear MountainVillage in Guilin, it is partly explained in the gift shop, where fuzz-coated bottles in the shape of a tiger are filled with “bone strengthening” wine. The liquor, which costs $132 for a six-year-old brew, is sold openly across the surrounding Guangxi region and beyond.Tiger steaks were proudly served on the menu at its restaurant until negative press pushed it underground. These days, the park takes a more low-key approach. The word “tiger” no longer appears on the wine packaging — “rare animal bones” is used instead — although those who sell the wine say the key ingredient remains tiger bone. READ THE NY TIMES ARTICLE
Anatomy of a Tiger - Learn about the very real threat to these beautiful creatures
"The animals of the world exist for their own reasons. They were not made for humans any more than black people were made for white, or women created for men." ~Alice Walker
The source of the quote is Walker's preface to Marjorie Spiegel's 1988 book, "The Dreaded Comparison" . Her next sentence was, "This is the gist of Ms. Spiegel's cogent, humane and astute argument, and it is sound."
"I was so moved by the intelligence, sense of fun and personalities of the animals I worked with on (the movie) Babe that by the end of the film I was a vegetarian." ~ James Cromwell
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