The bones of lions and tigers are in demand by Asian traders who seek to sell them to those who practice Traditional Chinese Medicine which uses powdered bones to make a health tonic that alledgedly cures ulcers, cramps, rheumatism, stomache aches, malaria and boost virility.
As tiger numbers declined, the traders replaced them with lion bones with the scarcity of tiger bones. At present, Africa is legally suppling the demand for lion bones, despite the animal being endangered.
In the United States, it is estimated that 10,000 to 20,000 big cats like tigers, lions and cougars are kept in captivity by private owners. There is no exact number, because permits are not required and records are not kept. They are bred in backyards, basements, garages, sheds, and on farms and ranches. What happens to the "surplus" is unknown, and undocumented.
We ask the United States to ban the exports of all endangered tiger and lion bones permanently.
SOURCE: http://news.mongabay.com/2013/0418-gen-lion-bone.html
Department of the Interior
Secretary Sall Jewell
1849 C Street, N.W.
Washington DC 20240Phone: (202) 208-3100
E-Mail: feedback@ios.doi.gov
Web: Feedback form
Mr. John Macfarlane Sellar
Chief of Enforcement
CITES Secretariat
Maison Internationale de l’Environnement
Chatelaine-Geneva, Switzerland 1219
Tel: +41-229178293
E-mail: john.sellar@cites.org
The bones of lions and tigers are in demand by Asian traders who seek to sell them to those who practice Traditional Chinese Medicine which uses powdered bones to make a health tonic that alledgedly cures ulcers, cramps, rheumatism, stomache aches, malaria and boost virility.
As tiger numbers declined, the traders replaced them with lion bones with the scarcity of tiger bones. At present, Africa is legally suppling the demand for lion bones, despite the animal being endangered.
In the United States, it is estimated that 10,000 to 20,000 big cats like tigers, lions and cougars are kept in captivity by private owners. There is no exact number, because permits are not required and records are not kept. They are bred in backyards, basements, garages, sheds, and on farms and ranches. What happens to the "surplus" is unknown, and undocumented.
We ask the United States to ban the exports of all endangered tiger and lion bones permanently.
SOURCE: http://news.mongabay.com/2013/0418-gen-lion-bone.html
Department of the Interior
Secretary Sall Jewell
1849 C Street, N.W.
Washington DC 20240Phone: (202) 208-3100
E-Mail: feedback@ios.doi.gov
Web: Feedback form
Mr. John Macfarlane Sellar
Chief of Enforcement
CITES Secretariat
Maison Internationale de l’Environnement
Chatelaine-Geneva, Switzerland 1219
Tel: +41-229178293
E-mail: john.sellar@cites.org
