... Consumers mainly in advanced countries in East Asia pay people in countries having tigers to hunt tigers for them... "Jambi (ANTARA News) - The management of the program to preserve Sumatra Tigers at the Kerinci Seblat National Park PHS-TNKS) in Jambi took part in a world tiger conference held to coincide with the Global Tiger Days in China.
"We were invited to take part in the week-long conference ending Aug 3 attended by representatives from 13 countries having tiger population like Indonesia," the manager of PHS-TNKS Dian Risdanto said here on Monday.
PHS-TNKS attended the conference not only as a participant but also as a speaker as PHS-TNKS was considered successful in its program to preserve Sumatra tigers with patrols by forest rangers launched since six years ago, Dian said.
He said the conference was held with concern that growing illegal trade of tiger organs involving a number of countries would lead to extinction of the animal.
Consumers mainly in advanced countries in East Asia pay people in countries having tigers to hunt tigers for them, he said.
Therefore, it is necessary to have commitment among countries, which have tiger population and countries known to be consumers of tiger organs to stop the practice, he said.
A number of illegal hunters have been nabbed by patrolling forest police but intensive patrols would not stop illegal trade of the organs of the wild animals as long as demand is high in the black market, he said.
"Therefore, countries having tiger population should ask for the involvement of international police in the hunt for the smugglers and the buyers of illegal commodity," he said.
Participants in the conference cited danger of extinction of tigers in their forests while illegal trade of tiger organs is growing, he said.
Editor: Ade P Marboen
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