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Tiger skin said to originate from India on sale in Tachilek, market, Myanmar, close to the Thai border.
© Chris R. Shepherd / TRAFFIC
Skin, bones, teeth and claws from almost 1,200 wild cats were observed in Myanmar’s wildlife markets during 12 surveys undertaken by monitors over 15 years. They saw parts of at least 107 tigers and all eight cat species native to Myanmar.
“This can only be the tip of the iceberg,” said Chris Shepherd, program coordinator for the Southeast Asia office of TRAFFIC, a wildlife trade monitoring network supported by WWF.
National Geographic News exposed the illegal wildlife trade in Myanmar in a grisly video report and photo gallery in February this year. The footage and photos were taken by wildlife photographer Karl Ammann, who has visited the region four times in the past 15 years, posing as a buyer.
In the town Möng La, on the border between Myanmar and China, which he visited last year, Ammann said, “There were cages stacked on top of each other with captured animals: bears, macaques, small primates, pangolins, rare birds, all kinds of reptiles, and tables filled with butchered animals with bullet holes through their heads and their throats cut. It’s one of the worst scenes I’ve ever seen.”
Watch Karl Ammann’s video investigation, first webcast by National Geographic News in February this year:
Warning: Graphic Imagery
© 2008 National Geographic
The TRAFFIC surveys announced today (October 15, 2008) focused on wild cats observed in Myanmar markets between 1991 and 2006. Monitors found a total of 1,320 wild cat parts, representing a minimum of 1,158 individual animals.
“The cat parts were openly displayed for sale and the dealers quite frank about the illegality of the trade, which suggests a serious lack of law enforcement,” Shepherd said
People from neighboring countries are the main buyers of these parts, as reflected by the locations of the markets, according to TRAFFIC. Three of the four markets surveyed were located on international borders with China and Thailand. Prices were quoted in Thai or Chinese currency, or even U.S. dollars.
Leopard Cat and juvenile Leopard skins displayed at a stall in Tachilek market, Myanmar, close to the Thai border.
© Chris R. Shepherd/TRAFFIC
“The sale of endangered cat parts, including tigers of which only about 4,000 remain, is an appalling and brazen violation of the law in Myanmar and should not be tolerated,” said Susan Lieberman, director of WWF International’s Species Programme.
“Most of these species have very low population numbers and will not be able to withstand the amount of poaching that is feeding this trade.”
Myanmar’s native cats include tiger, leopard, clouded leopard, marbled cat, Asiatic golden cat, fishing cat, leopard cat and jungle cat. At least five are thought to be protected by the country’s law and five are listed in Appendix I of CITES (the United Nations Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora), which bans international trade. Myanmar has been a signatory to CITES since 1997.
Leopard, Clouded Leopard and Tiger skins (plus other animal parts including python skins and elephant tusks) at a stall in Tachilek market, Myanmar, close to the Thai border.
© Gerald S. CUBITT/WWF-Canon
“Myanmar has an amazing wealth and variety of wildlife. However, immediate action to close down these markets and prosecute those engaged in the trade of protected wildlife is essential,” Shepherd said. National legislation should be tightened and better cross-border co-operation with neighboring countries, particularly Thailand and China, was needed, he added.
Myanmar is a member of the ASEAN Wildlife Enforcement Network, a partnership that seeks to end illegal cross-border wildlife trade in the region.
More from National Geographic News:
Bear Bile, Tiger Parts Sold in Myanmar Markets
VIDEO: Grisly Wildlife Trade Exposed
Wildlife Trade Booming in Burmese Casino Town
Black Market Tigers Linked to Thai Temple, Report Says
Harrison Ford Endorses New Global Tiger Initiative
Additional Resources:
TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade monitoring network
Download the full TRAFFIC report (PDF)
Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES)
Karl Ammann, conservation photographer and wildlife activist
