Police in Guangdong find another 'tiger slaughter' party

Want China Times, Staff Reporter 2014-04-05

A tiger is killed in Leizhou, Guangdong province. (Internet photo)

Butchering exotic animals for their meat, including tigers, has become a popular practice at galas held by wealthy residents of Leizhou county in Zhanjiang, Guangdong province.

Hosts often kill the animal while guests watch. In March, police in Leizhou discovered the butchering of a tiger, the tenth of the endangered animal to be slaughtered in the county in recent years, according to Guangzhou's Southern Daily.

An inside source said the tiger had been heavily anesthetized for transport to the venue. A distressing video tape of a similar slaughter in Leizhou two years ago showed a person first inserting a stick with a wired iron ingot attached to the end into the mouth of a tiger before starting a diesel oil-fueled generator and electrocuting the animal for 10 seconds. Still alive, the animal lay prostrate on the floor gasping for breath. A butcher then kills the animal for a reported fee of 1,000 yuan (US$160).

Insiders say that the slaughter of tigers has persisted in Leizhou for years despite the government ban, according to the paper. Tiger bones fetch 14,000 yuan (US$2,250) per kilogram, tiger meat fetches 1,000 yuan per kg, and tiger-bone liquor 1,000 yuan per kg. These items have already been pre-sold before the slaughter takes place, according to the paper.

With adult tigers weighing 150-200 kg and a purchase price of 200,000-300,000 yuan (US$32,000-$48,000), there is a profit margin of over 100,000 yuan (US$16,000). Tiger bones are used in traditional Chinese medicine and many businesspeople buy tiger meat or bone as gifts for government officials, despite a ban on the trade in tiger parts.

The tigers are reportedly supplied by breeders in Anhui and Henan provinces; there are no wild tigers in Leizhou, which as a peninsula used to be renowned for the large numbers of tigers roaming its wilderness.