The persistence of “gaps and inconsistencies” in the laws of the countries hosting wild tigers could undermine global efforts to combat the trafficking of these large felids.
report by the non-governmental organizations WWF and TRAFFIC, in collaboration with the legal consultancy Legal Atlas, reveals that more must be done to prevent decades of tiger conservation from ending in failure due to weak and ineffective laws in the States where the species still exists in the wild.
It is estimated that more than 3,300 tigers were seized between January 2000 and June 2022, en route to black markets fed by wildlife trafficking. Most seizures, about 85%, occurred in countries where tigers occur in the wild, which, according to the authors of the analysis, shows that attempts to interrupt trafficking routes that feed national and international markets are still failing.
The organizations say that “strong legal frameworks are essential” to combat tiger trafficking, together with effective enforcement of these laws, the involvement of local communities, and reducing demand for tiger-derived products.
The report covered 12 of the 14 countries within the current tiger distribution area: Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand, and Vietnam. Russia and Kazakhstan were not included in the analysis.
“Governments must eliminate legal gaps and build legal systems capable of countering organized and transnational crime,” said Heather Sohl, head of WWF’s Tiger Trade division, in a statement.
For the conservationist, protecting tigers from trafficking, strengthening the weight of the law and ensuring that wildlife crimes are “treated as serious crimes” depend on “effective legal frameworks.”
The report calls on countries where wild tigers still exist to criminalize any form of trafficking, including on digital platforms, to clarify their legal definitions of “wildlife trade” to avoid ambiguities and gaps, and to create permanent units formed by law enforcement agencies with full powers of investigation “to curb the illegal wildlife trade.”
“Legal gaps are the traffickers’ best weapons, and the worst enemy of tigers,” says James Wingard of Legal Atlas.
“Our analysis shows how these legal shortcomings—from unregulated captivity facilities and the absence of laws aimed at tiger hybrids to failures to criminalize the entire trade chain—create opportunities that traffickers can easily exploit,” warns the report’s lead author, adding that “closing these gaps is essential if we want to give tigers a chance, in the courts and, more importantly, in the wild.”
Tigers are listed as “Endangered” on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Estimates indicate that approximately 5,700 tigers remain living in the wild in their natural habitats.
Once spanning across much of Asia—from Turkey to the Far East, through Southeast Asia, they are now limited to about a dozen countries, such as China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, and Russia, occupying less than 7% of their historical distribution area.
Human persecution, prey loss, poaching and trafficking of their pelts, meat and bones, the destruction and fragmentation of their habitat, and illegal capture for captivity and breeding are some of the greatest threats pushing more and more tigers toward the brink of extinction.
