All wild cats are listed on the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), meaning international trade in live or dead animals or their parts and products are either partly or fully banned. This is because they are at risk of extinction by wildlife trade.
Back in the 1970s, leopard populations plummeted in many areas as the trend for having leopard-print coats skyrocketed. Even today, a snow leopard is thought to be poached on average every few days and one of the reasons for this is for the demand for their skins.
Our desire to stroke or own these animals is not good for their welfare or their conservation. For instance, the wildlife selfie craze could be fuelling illegal trade. After a raid on the Tiger Temple in Thailand – a tourist trap renowned for offering the chance to pet and photograph captive tigers – authorities seized 40 dead tiger cubs that had been stored in freezers, along with dozens more gruesomely stored in jars. Tiger farms are thought to increase demand for their parts by boosting supply, which then fuels poaching of wild tigers.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7sa7SZ6arn1%2Bsu6bAjqeYra2imnyjuM6gZqCkn5eurXnPnqtmrKKWsaZ5yKdksKGcmXqkrdOsZKKrXZZ6tbTRnpitZaSkerW0xKKpZqulp8OqwsClZg%3D%3D