Skin and bones unresolved: an analysis of tiger seizures from 2000-2018
There has been no respite for the heavily hunted Tiger with an estimated average of over 120 individuals seized each year over the past 19 years, a new TRAFFIC analysis revealed. Overall, the analysis estimated that 2,359 Tigers were seized from 2000 to 2018 across 32 countries and territories globally, resulting from 1,142 seizure incidents. The vast majority, around 95% of these seizures were recorded in countries that are home to Tigers. India, with the world’s largest wild Tiger population, remains the country with the highest overall number of seizures and the most Tigers seized, consistent with findings from previous years. It accounted for 40.5% of total incidents (463) and 26.5% of tigers seized (626). Outside the Tiger’s range, a total of 56 seizures were recorded, of which Taiwan Province of China and Mexico reported the largest number of Tigers seized throughout the 19-year period: 39 and 13 Tigers from 7 and 13 seizure incidents respectively. “Skin and Bones Unresolved: An Analysis of Tiger Seizures from 2000-2018, the fourth report in TRAFFIC’s series on tiger trade, reinforces that Tiger skins remain as the single most frequently seized tiger part—on average every year, almost 58 whole Tiger skin equivalents were seized.
