Zoos Killing Healthy Tigers for Skin Trade

Published: July 23, 2007, 9:31 am

Tags: offbeat news, animal, animals, cruelty, endangered, farms, poaching, skin trade, species, tigers, zoo, zoos

An undercover investigation has found zoos to be killing healthy tigers and other endangered species and selling their skins to be stuffed and mounted as trophies for private collectors. Photo Pappa Razzi 1 The skins are sold by the zoos to taxidermists who prepare them for clients despite government attempts to stifle the trade in tiger products. Last week undercover reporters from The Sunday Times were offered the skins from two zoo tigers, which were both only a few years old when they died, for over $12,000 US. There are too many of them and if they are not put down they will die of old age, get incinerated and thrown away. Andre Brandwood, a Hertford-shire taxidermist, told them. He said zoos had recognized there was a market and were placing a shelf life on animals to cash in by having them stuffed before they got old, suffered illness and then cost them money. What's happening is that various zoos [have] realized there's a market, hence there is a fixed

[ Full article ]

Blog link

Rating: 0

Comments