page_title: Tiger hunting
section_title: Tigers in traditional Chinese medicine
hierarchical_section_title: Tiger hunting / Tigers in traditional Chinese medicine
caption_attribution_description: Skinning of a tiger
context_page_description: Tiger hunting is the capture and killing of tigers. Humans are the tigers' most significant predator, and illegal poaching is a major threat to the tigers. The Bengal tiger is the most common subspecies of tiger, constituting approximately 80% of the entire tiger population, and is found in Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, Nepal, and India. It has been hunted in these countries for centuries. The tiger has historically been a popular big game animal and has been hunted for prestige as well as for taking trophies. Extensive poaching has continued even after such hunting became illegal and legal protection was provided to the tiger. Now a conservation-reliant endangered species, the majority of the world's tigers live in captivity. Tigers were once considered to be harder to hunt than lions, due to their habit of living alone in dense cover and not noisily asserting their presence with roars as often.
context_section_description: Tiger bones and nearly all body parts are used in traditional Chinese medicine for a range of purported uses, including pain killers. Tiger parts are used in traditional East Asian medicines, particularly in traditional Chinese medicine, where many people believe that tiger parts have multiple medicinal properties. When combined with the high prices that furs fetch on the black market and destruction of habitat, poaching for medicinal uses has greatly reduced tiger populations in the wild. A century ago, it is estimated that there were over 100,000 tigers in the world; now, global numbers may be below 2,500 mature breeding individuals, with no subpopulation containing more than 250 mature breeding individuals.
  There is no scientific corroboration to these beliefs, which include:
  The tail of the tiger is sometimes ground and mixed with soap to create an ointment for use in treating skin cancer.
  The bones found in the tip of the tiger's tail are said to ward off evil spirits.
  Crushed tiger bones added to wine, served as a Taiwanese general tonic.
  The feet of a tiger, when dipped in palm oil and hung in front of a door, are said to diminish the likelihood of evil spirits from entering.
  Tiger's skin is said to cure a fever caused by ghosts. To use it effectively, the user must sit on the tiger's skin, but beware. If too much time is spent on the tiger's skin, legend says the user will become a tiger.
  Adding honey to the gallstones and applying the combination to the hands and feet is said to effectively treat abscesses.
  Burnt tiger hair can allegedly drive away centipedes.
  Mixing the brain of a tiger with oil and rubbing the mixture on your body is an alleged cure for both laziness and acne.
  Rolling the eyeballs into pills is an alleged remedy for convulsions.
  The whiskers are used to cure toothaches.
  One will allegedly possess courage and shall be protected from sudden fright by wearing a tiger's claw as a piece of jewellery or carrying one in a pocket.
  Strength, cunning, and courage can allegedly be obtained by consuming a tiger's heart.
  Floating ribs of a tiger are considered a good luck talisman.
  The tiger's penis is said to be an aphrodisiac.
  Small bones in a tiger's feet tied to a child's wrists are said to be a sure cure for convulsions.
  On 15 March 2010, the World Federation of Chinese Medicine Societies (WFCMS) issued a statement regarding the use of endangered species for medicinal purposes. Huang Jianyin, Deputy Secretary of WFCMS, addressing the conference, issued the following statement: "Tiger conservation has become a political issue in the world. Therefore it is necessary for the traditional Chinese medicine industry to support the conservation of endangered species, including tigers" (Science Daily). As TCM Practitioners push to remove endangered species from the "ingredients list," they are being met by farmers hoping to reignite the demand for TCM Based medicinal products, such as tiger bone wine.
  Tiger farming is partially, if not fully, responsible for reigniting the demand for tiger-based medicinal products. At Xiongsen bear and tiger farm in Guilin, China, as many as 200,000 bottles of tiger bone wine are being produced annually. (Jacobs 2010) Parks such as Xiongsen profit off branding their wine as holistic medicinal remedies, meeting the market demand for prior medicinal practices. While TCM practitioners attempt to move away from the use of endangered species, tiger farms are reigniting this demand. Today, tiger farmers in China are pushing their government to lift the ban on tiger part sales.
  In 2007, farmers fought to have the ban lifted, citing that, "[t]he poaching of wild tigers for traditional medicine would diminish substantially if tigers, which breed prolifically in captivity - could be farmed for food." However, this goes directly against the reasons for which these establishments were created - for reintroducing the endangered species back into the wild. If tiger farming is allowed, the population of wild tigers will be directly affected. How? One of the first noticeable factors will be t
caption: Instructions for tiger skinning
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