Latest investigations conducted by Wildlife Protection Society of India (WPSI), an Indian NGO, and the international Environment Investigative Agency (EIA) shows there has been no decline in the tiger skin trade in the Tibet Autonomous Region. The shocking revelation this time is that the precious skins are now being used even for interior decoration in China and Tibet.

The cross-border trade in tiger skins continues to flourish though both India and China are signatories to the UN Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) and are supposed to have specialised enforcement units.

In Lhasa, the undercover investigators were offered 11 tiger skins and eight leopard skins in July and August. “Till last year, there were more Tibetans buying skins for decoration of traditional costumes, called Chupas. This year, however, the buyers are mainly Chinese, wealthy businessmen and government officials, if the traders are to believed,” says EIA campaigner Nick Mole. He adds that while the use of tiger skins in costumes has come down because of the increased awareness, the new customers are using them for interior decoration and gifts.

According to the agencies, the animal skins are now trafficked in small consignments across mountain passes and official border crossings through a chain of couriers. “Some even suggested concealing them in passenger luggage, including sleeping bags,” says Skinning the Cat: Crime and Politics of the Big Cat Skin Trade, a report released by the agencies. “The traders only told us that they have sourced the skins from India. They even had phone numbers of traders in India. The fold, tanning and the way of killing was identified as Indian by our WPSI expert,” says Mole.

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