Animal Farms in Southeast Asia Fuel an Illegal Trade in Rare Wildlife
"The increased market demand for tiger parts also fuels poaching of tigers in the wild, because wildlife consumers prefer animals caught in the wild." In Laos and several other Asian countries, conservationists have compiled ample evidence
that many zoos and farms serve as fronts for commercial breeding.
Chris Shepherd said that I can’t think of any species in Southeast Asia that benefits from commercial captive breeding,
At an international conference on the endangered species trade last fall, Laotian government officials acknowledged a growing problem with wildlife farms
and committed themselves to closing down the country’s tiger farms.
A 2008 investigation by Vietnamese officials and the Wildlife Conservation Society found
that about half of 78 wildlife farms surveyed regularly launder animals caught in the wild.
In Chengdu, China, one-third of 285 bears rescued from bile farms
and now living at a rehabilitation center run by Animals Asia, a nonprofit group, are missing limbs, a sign that they were caught in the wild by snares.
Conservationists maintain that this zoo is actually a farm raising animals for slaughter, and
that it plays a significant role in perpetuating the illegal wildlife trade, swapping tigers with similar operations in Thailand and illegally butchering animals for their bones, meat and parts.
Giovanni Broussard said that There are some countries in Southeast Asia
that are equipped to combat criminal networks, and some that are still struggling,