The
skins of poached tigers and other illegal animal
products are being sold openly in Bur Dubai's souk
(market). Despite the trade being illegal in the
UAE, the shop responsible for selling the items
offers the skins of Bengal tigers, leopards,
cheetahs and hyenas for less than Dh800 each.
The shop also sells big cats' claws, skulls, snake
skins and green turtle shells, some of which, it
is claimed, have been caught in UAE waters.
Speaking about the tiger products on sale, the
shop assistant told Gulf News: "We sell lots
of these skins and they are very popular with all
nationalities, including Europeans.
"The leopard and cheetah skins are mostly
brought in from Sudan, and the tiger skins come
from Bengal tigers in India. At the moment, the
sizes we have range from cub to adult." He
then demonstrated the range by displaying the skin
of a cub approximately five months old with a
pricetag of Dh600.
"The animals were hunted and shot for their
skins," he said. "It is a trade, and we
usually receive a new delivery every month. They
are either flown in, or they are brought in on
dhows and they do sell quickly."
One customer visiting the shop said she was
disgusted by what she saw. "I came in because
I couldn't believe I was seeing real tiger skins
up for sale," she said. "I really didn't
think this sort of thing went on in the UAE."
Dr Marycke Jongbloed, a volunteer for the Arabian
Leopard Trust, called the trade appalling, but
said enforcement of laws was the main problem.
"This trade is completely illegal because the
UAE is a signatory of the Convention on
International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES),
which means this should not be happening, but
unfortunately it's not rare here.
"During the Shopping Festival it gets worse,
and all sorts of things come in to the market,
like bear paw ashtrays. "The profit margins
are astronomical. Most of the skins are available
at trade price for just Dh100, and the shop owners
then bump the price up."
She said more action needs to be taken to curb the
trade. "So many people are willing to jump on
the environmental bandwagon, but when it comes
down to it, only a handful are willing to enforce
the laws.
"The UAE is good when it comes to
environmental pollution, but things like animal
conservation are also important. A creature can
only become extinct once - there is no second
chance. "The fact that tiger skins are being
sold is particularly bad because they are classed
as a first-stage risk animal."
The Indian government put a total ban on all tiger
hunting in 1970, but the species is still on the
brink of extinction - a situation aggravated by
persistent poaching.
The number of Bengal tigers has fallen from an
estimated 100,000 a century ago to less than
5,000. But Siberian tigers fare the worst, with
only 50 known to be left both in captivity and in
the wild. Figures also state that on average, one
tiger is killed every day as a result of the skin
trade.
