FOUR PAWS launches MEP pledge calling for an end to the commercial trade in tigers and tiger parts in the EU
The international animal welfare organisation encourages MEPs to show their support and call on the European Commission to end all commercial tiger trade. FOUR PAWS recently initiated a letter directed to the Commission and which was signed by 105 other NGOs echoing the demands of the pledge and the 6 MEPs who have already signed.
FOUR PAWS has launched an online tool that allows MEPs to sign a pledge urging other MEPs, the European Commission, and Member States to end all commercial trade in tigers and their parts within and from the European Union. After several MEPs spoke out against the commercial tiger trade at the FOUR PAWS webinar on Dec 1st, 2020, this pledge offers the chance to show how big the support for a ban is within the European Parliament.
“The legal trade in captive-bred tigers serves as a cover for the illegal trade and offers ample laundering opportunities” says Kieran Harkin, Head of Wild Animals in Trade at FOUR PAWS, “The demand for tiger parts is putting wild populations under serious pressure from poaching and the commercial exploitation of tigers causes mass cruelty with tigers being farmed and killed for parts. The European Union needs to take action and end its role in the demise of the tiger”. The pledge demands that captive-bred tigers are offered the same protection as tigers from the wild, which would end all commercial trade. Exceptions should only be made for non-commercial exchanges between genuine sanctuaries and between legitimate zoos for breeding programmes that support conservation.
FOUR PAWS initiated a letter directed to the European Commission that was signed by 105 other NGO's and that, together with the 6 MEPs who have already signed the pledge, demonstrates the support and momentum in calling for this ban. European citizens strongly support stricter measures with 91% of respondents from seven member states being in favour of banning tiger trade, according to a poll undertaken by Kantar Public in 2018.
“The revision of the Action Plan against Wildlife Trade offers the perfect opportunity to address this issue and we hope to see the European Parliament urging the European Commission to act in this urgent matter by integrating this demand as part of the own initiative report on the Biodiversity Strategy for 2030” says Pierre Sultana, Director of the FOUR PAWS European Policy Office, “MEPs, NGOs and EU citizens have repeatedly spoken out against the commercial trade in tigers and with regards to the low numbers of tigers in the wild, this needs to be tackled now”.
You can find the pledge here: https://help.four-paws.org/en/ruthlesstrade-mep-pledge-support-ban-commercial-tiger-trade
Letter to the European Commission regarding Tiger Trade
Letter to the European Commission regarding Tiger Trade
FOUR PAWS is the global animal welfare organisation for animals under direct human influence, which reveals suffering, rescues animals in need and protects them. Founded in 1988 in Vienna by Heli Dungler, the organisation advocates for a world where humans treat animals with respect, empathy and understanding. FOUR PAWS’ sustainable campaigns and projects focus on companion animals including stray dogs and cats, farm animals and wild animals – such as bears, big cats, orangutans and elephants – kept in inappropriate conditions as well as in disaster and conflict zones. With offices in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Germany, Kosovo, the Netherlands, Switzerland, South Africa, Thailand, Ukraine, the UK, the USA and Vietnam as well as sanctuaries for rescued animals in twelve countries, FOUR PAWS provides rapid help and long-term solutions. www.four-paws.org