EU urged to help prevent tiger extinction

MEPs and wildlife experts have called on the EU to raise the profile of the tiger trade as a "serious crime".

Speaking at a news conference in parliament on Wednesday, British Socialist MEP Neena Gill said, "Recent figures show there may be only 1300 tigers left in India and by 2025 the tiger may be extinct.

"India alone cannot tackle this looming extinction. It is time for the EU to be at the forefront of an international drive to save the tiger."

Specifically, she said the EU could help ensure that a 15-year international trade ban, which aims to reduce the market for tiger parts, is properly enforced.

She said there are concerns that some countries, particularly China, are under pressure to legalise the trade in tiger parts from farmed tigers.

Gill, who leads parliament’s India delegation, said that overturning the ban would "open the floodgates" of consumption and stimulate more poaching of wild tigers.

The commission is also urged to provide extra funding and resources to help tackle the problem.

Gill’s fears were echoed by Dutch ALDE deputy Dirk Sterckx, who said, "It is absolutely essential that China commits to saving the wild tiger if these animals are to have any chance of survival."

Indian wildlife expert Valmik Thapar, who also spoke at the news conference, said, "With the run up to the Olympics, the world’s attention is on China.

"We must raise this issue with the authorities and ensure they do not lift the ban on trade in tiger products, which would prove disastrous."

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