Tiger Trade Routes

You said: South America is the most common destination.

In the past, many tiger skins were sent to South America for sale as fashionable and expensive coats. In recent years, this trade has dwindled due to a ban on trade in tiger skins, along with a growing concern about clothing made from endangered species.

Today, most tiger trade occurs within Asia, particularly China, Japan, Korea, and Taiwan.

For example, tigers killed in southern India are often sent to Dubai in the Middle East, where the skins and bones are prepared to sell at market.

Tigers killed in northern and central India are usually sent to East Asian countries such as China, Japan and Taiwan. In many cases, the Tibetan capital of Lhasa is an important trading center for tiger parts. There, traders exchange tiger bones for the shahtoosh wool from another endangered species, the Tibetan Antelope, or Chiru. This wool is woven into extremely fine, expensive shawls which sell for thousands of dollars. The tiger bones and other parts end up in China, Japan, and other East Asian countries in the form of traditional Chinese medicines.

Back to Tiger Trade Introduction

Tiger bone image © Belinda Wright, Wildlife Protection Society of India. From 'Through the Tiger's Eyes' by Stanley Breeden and Belinda Wright (Ten Speed Press, 1996).