India must resist China pressure on tiger ban

Ok, anyone who has been reading my blog for some time now knows that I adore Tigers. My favorite of which is the white tigers and it really saddens me to think that there are truely a limited number of these awesome creatures left in this world. I for one have been lucky enough to have been able to see one of these creatures in person (at a zoo mind you but in person none the less) and their beauty and power is simply amazing to behold. I would love to see the numbers in these creatures incrase as opposed to decrease. Anyway, enough of my ranting here is the story from www.news.yahoo.com :

India must not support a Chinese campaign to lift a ban on trading tiger parts as any relaxation could wipe out the endangered cats, conservation group WWF-India said on Wednesday. The call came a day after a Chinese delegation met Indian officials seeking support to lift the ban, imposed in 1993 on the sale of tiger bones in China for use in traditional medicines as well as skins. "At a time when the tiger is already facing threats like habitat loss and poaching, China's move to lift the ban will only compound the problem further," Sujoy Banerjee from WWF-India's Species Conservation Programme told a news conference.

"The Indian government should take a strong stance on this issue in the interest of tiger conservation in India, which has the world's largest population of tigers in the wild." "Breeding a tiger costs $1,500 per year, but poaching a tiger costs just $40. If the trade becomes legal, which is more profitable -- poaching or breeding?" said wildlife biologist A.J.T. Johnsingh.

For more go to www.yahoo.com news section.