National Parks in China sell 'Tiger Wine'

National parks meant to protect and conserve endangered tigers are producing and selling “tiger wine” in China. The wine is made by mixing tiger carcasses with rice wine.

The wine is called “tiger bone wine” and is made by steeping tiger carcasses in rice wine. It is like an aphrodisiac and is meant to make the drinkers feel strong. World Wildlife Fund (WWF) is criticizing China for making this “tiger bone wine” possible and causing serious decline in tiger populations in China. There is an International Tiger Symposium held in Nepal, with various countries including China participating in the conference. While many countries, including the WWF, want a ban on the trade in tiger bones and skin, the Chinese delegates are arguing to lift the ban. There are many reasons for the decline in tiger population, but one of them is due to this “tiger wine” problem. At the symposium there seems to be a heated exchange between the two parties: one seeks the ban (such as the WWF, Nepal, Bangladesh and other countries) and the other, like China, who want to lift the ban, according to the BBC correspondent, Charles Haviland in Kathmandu, Nepal. Though the wine is banned officially in China, it is still available in the so called “tiger farms”, which are showcased to the visitors as a conservation place for endangered tigers. The WWF says these farms are the leading producers and sellers of tiger bone wine. WWF also says the captive tigers cannot survive in the wild, and believes the production of wine and underhand trade in skin and bones also threaten to make wild tiger poaching more lucrative. The ban is still not official, and the members are debating this issue at the symposium in Nepal. We can only shake our head when we hear people want to become strong not by natural means but rather by making the animal species extinct. As the video says, not all Chinese participate in this tiger wine trade.