In illegal markets along the borders between Burma, Thailand and China, vendors openly trade tiger parts and those of other endangered species. With the in St Petersburg, Russia, this week, wildlife trade monitoring network Traffic and WWF have condemning the markets.
Though trafficking in tigers is prohibited under Burmese wildlife law, tiger skins are displayed and sold openly in one of the many retail outlets for tiger products in Mong La in Shan state, in the east of the country.
Shan state borders Laos, Thailand and China, and provides a corridor for trafficking exotic wildlife products into China by road.
(Image: Adam Oswell/)
A tiger skin openly on sale at a retail outlet in Mong La. As well as their skins, big cats are in demand for their bones, paws, penises and teeth, which are used in Chinese traditional medicine. there may be as few as 3200 wild tigers left worldwide.
(Image: Adam Oswell/)
A vendor displays a leopard to attract tourists in a market at the river Kwai bridge in Kanchanaburi province, western Thailand.
Though most big cat products are trafficked to east Asian markets, the domestic tourist market for exotic souvenirs helps perpetuate the demand.
(Image: Adam Oswell/)
A trader in Tachilek – a market town in Shan state, Burma, bordering Thailand – openly sells clouded leopard (Neofelis nebulosa) skins and other endangered wildlife products. This species is included on , which lists species threatened with extinction. Hunting is banned over most of its , from the Himalayan foothills in Nepal into China.
(Image: Adam Oswell/)
A hidden camera reveals leopard skins stacked high in a warehouse in Tachilek. Traffic reports that profit margins from sales of big cat products are so high that vendors can easily bribe local authorities to overlook national wildlife regulations.
(Image: Adam Oswell/)
At the central market in Mong La, Burma, a large range of wildlife products are on open display. Bear paws, wild cat organs, deer horns and even loris parts can be readily bought from the side of the road.
(Image: Adam Oswell/)
