May 16, 2014
This year, two prominent arrests in China of gangs illegally trading in tigers caused an outcry in the
country and around the world. Chinese citizens are furious because China has
fewer than 50 wild tigers left, yet one group in Leizhou is said to have been killing and
supplying tiger products for years.
However, what is less widely known is that China actually
has a licensed wildlife trade, with more than 100 companies authorised to deal
in the skin products of nationally protected species, including tigers.
Xia Feng Craft Taxidermy Factory (Xia Feng), in An-Hui,
is one of more than a dozen licensed taxidermists. Official records show Xia
Feng was supplied with 40 tigers and one leopard from zoos during 2010-14 (see
the records cache on EIA’s website). The finished products,
high quality tiger skin rugs, are rarely offered for sale online.
In the 2013 report Hidden in Plain Sight PDF, EIA exposed how Xia Feng’s
licensed operations were a cover for illegal conduct but, despite this, the
business seems to continue to operate with impunity – in January this year, Xia
Feng sourced 10 tiger carcasses from zoos.
For more information see:
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