China reverses ban on rhino and tiger products
Decision to relax trade restrictions an ‘enormous setback’ to conservation efforts, campaigners warn
The Chinese government has alarmed conservation groups with plans to relax restrictions on the trade of rhino horns and tiger bones.
Parts from captive animals will be authorised for scientific, medical and cultural use, Beijing’s State Council announced on Monday.
The move lifted restrictions put in place by China in 1993 as part of a global effort to protect the world’s endangered wildlife species, Al Jazeera reports.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Rhino horns and tiger bones are prized as ingredients in Chinese traditional medicine, but their supposed medical benefits have not been scientifically proven.
Campaigners have urged the government to reconsider the move, warning that it will push the two endangered species closer to extinction.
“We are deeply concerned about China's uplift of the ban and we are battling to comprehend this shocking decision,” Audrey Delsink, wildlife director of the Humane Society International, told the South China Morning Post.
The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) said relaxing the ban on trading rhino and tiger parts was an “enormous setback” to efforts to protect the animals in the wild.
Even if restricted to antiques and use in hospitals and research labs, “this trade would increase confusion by consumers and law enforcers as to which products are and are not legal, and would likely expand the markets for other tiger and rhino products”, WWF said.
But Beijing appears unwilling to budge on the issue. China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang said yesterday that the reversal of the ban was in line with the "reasonable needs of reality”.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
6 scenic white water rafting destinations to get your heart racing
The Week Recommends Have a rip-roaring time on the water
By Catherine Garcia, The Week US Published
-
Dangerous substances in Lunchables are raising concerns over children's health
In the Spotlight High levels of lead and sodium were recently found in the snack packages
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
The Week contest: Fired art
Puzzles and Quizzes
By The Week US Published
-
How the EU undermines its climate goals with animal farming subsidies
Under the radar Bloc's agricultural policy incentivises carbon-intensive animal farming over growing crops, despite aims to be carbon-neutral
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Chimpanzees are dying of human diseases
Under the radar Great apes are vulnerable to human pathogens thanks to genetic similarity, increased contact and no immunity
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Can the world really wean itself off coal?
Today's Big Question 'Record' global consumption is set to fall soon but growing demand in China and India could increase tensions
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
The microplastics hurricanes blowing across North America
Under the Radar New research confirms global pervasiveness of harmful microplastic pollution
By The Week Staff Published
-
What can Cop28 really achieve?
Today's Big Question Climate summit in UAE proves controversial as UN warns world is falling short of global warming targets
By The Week UK Published
-
A23a: why world's biggest iceberg is on the move
The Explainer The mass of ice is four times the size of New York and 'essentially' an island
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Libya floods: death toll set to rise with 10,000 reported missing
More than 6,000 people reported dead, with hundreds of bodies still washing ashore
By Arion McNicoll Published
-
Thousands feared dead in catastrophic Libya flooding
Speed Read A powerful Mediterranean storm pummeled Libya's northeast coast, wiping out entire neighborhoods
By Peter Weber Published