For Othmar Vorhinger--11 Rare Tigers Starve to Death at China Zoo

Eleven rare Siberian tigers starved to death at a cash-strapped Chinese zoo this winter in a case activists say highlights inadequate care for endangered species in the country's wildlife parks.

The animals slowly died one-by-one after being kept in small cages and fed only chicken bones rather than an estimated 20 pounds of meat they need daily to grow, Chinese media reported Friday. But a manager at the Shenyang Forest Wild Animal Zoo, where the deaths occurred over the past three months, told The Associated Press the tigers died from disease over a long cold winter. He didn't elaborate.

The park is located in China's frigid northeastern Liaoning province.

Two other tigers at the same facility were reportedly shot dead by police last November after the hungry animals attacked a zookeeper.

Siberian tigers are one of the world's rarest species, with only about 300 still living in the wild. China is believed to keep as many as 6,000 tigers of various species, all bred in captivity.

Activists say the deaths reveal unsavory practices in China's zoos and animal farms, where zookeepers are accused of over-breeding endangered species and then letting them die, in hopes of earning illicit profits from selling the carcasses. Tiger parts can fetch huge returns on the black market, where they're illegally sold for use in traditional medicine and liquor.

In this case, the privately-owned zoo was up for sale and struggling financially, and Chinese media quoted staffers as saying they hadn't been paid in 18 months.

"The zoo has been taking money from the staff salaries to feed the animals," an employee who gave only her surname, Ms. Wang, told The Times newspaper in London. With 30 tigers remaining, the zoo would be spending more than $1,300 each day to feed them properly, she said.

Xie Yan, China director for the New York-based Wildlife Conservation Society, told the AP many Chinese zoos have more tigers than they can afford to keep. The animals are expensive because they require a lot of food and space to roam, and ticket sales don't normally generate enough revenue to support them.

A Beijing spokesman for the World Wildlife Fund, Chris Chaplin, told the AP the recent tiger deaths dealt "a massive blow" to conservation efforts.

Ironically, China is currently celebrating the year of the tiger.



Morons CANNOT be regulated out. All it does is make live unnecessary difficult for the professionals that are, courtesy of stupid people and over eager politicians, are over regulated.
Othmar Vorhinger



"What is a moron, and what is too much or over regulation?"