Tiger, pangolin farming in Myanmar risks ‘boosting China demand’, conservationists warn
Conservationists have warned a sudden change in Myanmar’s law allowing the commercial farming of tigers, pangolins and other endangered species risks further fuelling demand in China for rare wildlife products.
The Southeast Asian nation is already a hub for the illegal trafficking of wildlife, a trade driven by demand from neighbouring China and worth an estimated US$20 billion worldwide.
In June, Myanmar’s Forest Department quietly gave the green light to private zoos to apply for licences to breed 90 species, more than 20 of which are endangered or critically endangered.
It was an unexpected move that caught conservation groups off guard but was explained by the Forest Department as a way to help reduce poaching of wild species and illegal breeding.
Agence France-Presse (AFP)
