The year of the tiger in China has not been a happy one for tigers in captivity.  Over the last 3 months the media has reported the death of 11 rare Siberian Tigers all being housed at zoos in north-east China.

Local authorities believe that a lack of food was to blame for the deaths.

The tigers died at the Shenyang Forest Wild Animal Zoo in Liaoning Province. That fact was confirmed by a worker at the zoo. There are disputes about how the deaths occurred with Lui Xiaoqiang, a local wildlife protection agent claiming the tigers suffered from malnutrition-he alleges the tigers were fed chicken bones.

Mr Liu also said that the tigers had been kept in inappropriately small cages, restricting their ability to move and exercise and thereby lowering their resistance to diseases.

In China, 5000 tigers live in captivity while only 50 live in the wild.  This raises questions surrounding why there are so many who continue to live in zoos and other establishments, especially given that China still allows trade in tiger parts for such things as medicine.

Animal advocacy groups have long expressed their concern regarding the treatment of captive tigers in China and this incident will surely lead to more questions surrounding this treatment.

A spokesman for the International Fund for Animal Welfare in Beijing said: “[The government has] given too many credentials to groups that do not have the capability of taking care of these animals.”

Hopefully the media coverage of these sad events will bring much needed attention to this issue.

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