Demand for tiger bone wine on the rise

A rising demand for tiger bone wine and tiger skins in China is threatening to drive the animal towards extinction in the wild.

As reported by the Guardian, despite the fact that the practice has been illegal in China since 1993, demand for tiger bone wine in the country is booming, which has led to a legalised domestic trade in captive-bred tiger wine and skins.

A rise in tiger farms has sparked an interest in tiger bone wine on the part of rich Chinese consumers due to its supposed medicinal properties.

In the production of tiger tonic wines, tiger bones are left to soak in the wine for varying lengths of time and are then removed before bottling.

Tiger bone wine

The wines sell for between £65-£500 a bottle depending on how long the tiger bone was in contact with wine for.

Once guarded, local retailers are now more open about selling bottles of the wine, which often carry a picture of a tiger on the front.

Chinese wildlife officials are campaigning for international approval to lift the ban on tiger bone use, arguing that tiger bone wine is part of Chinese culture.

In addition to the wine, there has also been increased demand for tiger skin rugs and stuffed tigers, which are sought after as status symbols.

With over 200 tourist attraction tiger farms housing around 5,000 tigers, China has the largest number of captive bred tigers in the world.

There are thought to be less than 4,000 tigers left in the wild. Despite this, tiger products are frequently traded at auction in China, often disguised as “antiques” and “collectables”.

Conservationists are campaigning for clear government decision to outlaw the trade in tiger parts.

Meanwhile, a Chinese businessman was jailed for 13 years last week for eating endangered tigers and making wine made out of their blood.

According to Chinese news agency Xinhua, the man from Guangxi, surname Xu, made three trips to the province of Guangdong last year to buy the tigers.

Xu and his accomplices struck deals with the sellers to kill three tigers, which they then ate due to the meat’s supposed aphrodisiacal properties.

The man was arrested after one of his deals was reported to the police.