If these pictures gross you out, bring tears to your eyes, or make you feel sick to the stomach, then good. This is the grim reality. This is what's happening to the tigers.
According to the WWF, tiger bones have been used as a traditional medicine in China for over a thousand years. Their whiskers, claws, teeth are said to have the power of good luck. And plenty of people believe the affects to be true.
Consumer demands bring illegal poaching. "Illegal" because of a treaty many countries signed in 1973. It's called CITES (Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora). Even China signed. Even Japan signed. Even the US signed. Even the UK signed along with lots of other countries like Panama, Spain, Togo, Sierra Leone...
CITES signed countries
I remember reading something about rhinos, which are also endangered. Apparently their ivory tusks have some medicinal value and people are even "cultivating" some just so that they can "harvest" the tusks somehow without damaging the rhinos or something... Anyway, the tusks aren't scientifically proved to cure any sickness even though users are claiming it helps.
Perhaps the tigers are having to endure the same false belief.
If you don't get it, let's put humans in this light. I know it sounds harsh to use us but... the reality is harsh :/
Let's say there are some otherworldly creatures that have been living amongst us for a long time. They are slightly stronger than us but for a long time we have lived in harmony. Until one of them gets the idea that our bones are a good use for medicine. Or rather profit. Maybe they hunger for riches.
They might try dead bodies but maybe digging up graves wasn't such a good idea... where is the livestock? All around them. Illegal human poaching begins and we are slaughtered just so that our bones can be ground into powder and used a medicine that may not even work.
I would be so mad at these otherworldly people. Our race may come to extinction just because of their "needs".
I don't like to be grim all the way through so here's a happy tiger pic I got off the Internet:
So, now that we've basked in cuteness. Have you guys heard of the placebo effect? It's pretty interesting.
If you believe that the said medicine works, it will work even though it actually has zero effect. Why it works?
Humans are quite amazing. As long as we believe, our bodies will cure themselves even though the medicine doesn't help.
So, because someone put an idea in people's heads, those people are asking for more ivory, more tiger bones, more good luck charms. Even though they don't work.
Oh, you probably wonder, hey ho, why is it ALWAYS China? It's not. Trust me. All 3200 or so tigers don't live in China. Seriously, there's already enough people living there.
And take a look at this. WWF tells us the truth.
The Problems Tigers Face
It's grim. Too grim. If this was us, it's like one of those dystopian novels where at the end, everyone dies. Or is that one of those cheesy horror films? But this isn't a film. It's reality. We can still do something.
I'll repeat;
WE CAN STILL DO SOMETHING, PEOPLE!! AND WE ARE GOING TO DO IT!!
DON'T FORGET THE TIGERS!!
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