The front page of Kao Sot newspaper for yesterday showed a photo of a ranger examining the carcasses of 11 tigers loaded in the back of a pickup truck. According to the story, over 300 mammals, including leopards, panthers, marbled cats and porcupines were a part of a shipment which was intercepted in Nakorn Panom enroute to China via the Laotian border. No doubt these creatures were all destined to end up on some exotic menu in some ritzy restaurant in southern China.
Tigers are on the brink of becoming extinct here in Thailand and many of the large national parks such as Kao Yai have not reported seeing one in years. In fact Kao Yai, the site of the notorious man-eating killer tiger duo back in the late 1990’s is now shamefully reporting that there is only one known tiger left in the entire national park! What is happening to our national heritage?
30 years ago a trip to a national park meant that one would get a chance to see large mammals and wildlife, much like a trip to the African Serengeti, albeit on a lesser scale. Today it’s hard to even see simple creatures such as birds or squirrels in many of our national parks. That, along with the continuance of illegal logging in some of the northernmost parks makes me wonder what we’ll have left for our children when we get to be 80 years old.
It may be taboo to say this but perhaps a rightful solution to the ongoing demand for tiger meat in China would be to pressure the Chinese government to start a breeding program from which they could “raise” tigers solely for their meat and hides, much like the mink farms in northern Europe. If that is too much to ask, perhaps they would invest in a secret project to clone tigers and harvest them for their meat. After all, only the Chinese are interested in eating them; why should we have to pay dearly of our national heritage to please the appetite of some superstitious Chinese with a healthy pocketbook?
Friday, February 01, 2008
Slain Mammals Intercepted in Nakorn Panom
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4 comments:
What a sad though not surprising story about the tigers and other animals. I don't see any reason to feel that the end is near for all of the natural world. We're witnessing the end of all that matters to some of us. Once Nature is gone, I don't see any reason to stick around.
Ciao,
Dave
Hi Ike,
I can't find this article online. Is this a Thai language newspaper? Could you send me the entire story please? I'm writing a book on the natural history of Phuket, but I want to put stuff in there like this to show what probably happened in the past in Phuket.
Thanks,
Dave
It was a Thai language newspaper which is probably why there hasn't been an outcry from any animal activists yet. after all, most of Thailands animal activists are either dying of old age or have already committed suicide on protest to whats happening.
"dying of old age or have already committed suicide" is probably much truer than many might think. I haven't given up on saving Thailand's natural wonders, but I feel sometimes like I'm wasting my time.
I'd like to see extremely strong penalties for this, but it'll likely be a slap on the wrist.
I've posted/linked to your story on several forums. Exposure and loss of face seems the way to get things done here sometimes. I doubt anyone cares enough to protect the animals just because it's the right thing to do. Animal welfare is way down on the priority list I'm sure. I don't know why Thailand even bothered to sign the CITES Treaty if they don't plan on protecting the animals...
Thanks,
Dave
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