Chinese officials are considering whether or not to revoke the 1993 law against the sale and trade of tiger products. This has raised concern in the United Nations about tiger extinction.
From the International News:
A UN wildlife conference rebuked China on Wednesday for reviewing a 1993 ban on domestic trade in tiger parts amid fears that any sales could drive wildcats to extinction.“Tigers should not be bred for trade in their parts or derivatives,” according to a decision by the 171-nation UN Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) in The Hague. Beijing told CITES last week that it was considering allowing domestic trade in parts from its 5,000 captive-bred tigers if a scientific review proved it would reduce poaching and help stocks of wild tigers worldwide. [Full Text]
See also the BBC report on China’s tiger farms.