To Sell a Tiger: Renhui Zhao at Foto 8

There’s a beautiful photo essay on Foto 8 of Renhui Zhao‘s Chinese tiger images. About the project:

“In
China wild tigers are close to extinction, it is estimated that just 50
remain. In captivity, however, their numbers are flourishing with tiger
farms and reserves attracting thousands of tourists every year. Several
large parks, including Xiongsen Bear and Tiger Mountain Village in
Guilin and The Siberian Tiger Forest Park in Harbin, claim to
be struggling to support themselves on their current funding and
visitor fees alone.

The Chinese government, under pressure from these farms, is pushing to
legalise the trade of tiger parts,
in a seemingly ironic gesture to save the species from extinction.
Tiger parts have been used in traditional Chinese medicine for
over 5000 years, but the practice was banned 14 years ago in a global
attempt to preserve this endangered species. If the ban is lifted, it
will only apply to farmed tigers, not wild
tigers and the profits generated will, supposedly support the
‘rewilding’ efforts China is currently undertaking.

Xiongsen, one of the most controversial farms, houses nearly 1700 tigers and has been declared as an official centre for
captive breeding and reintroduction to the wild. Animals are trained to
perform in spectacles including “Grand Meeting of Bear and Tiger” and
“Theatre of Dreams” and visitors can buy live chickens, turkeys, ducks
or even cows to feed the tigers.

It is said the live prey will encourage the re-wilding of the farmed
tigers, but many feel this is a pointless and barbaric act as these tigers
will never be ready to be released into the wild. Indeed, farmed tigers,
without natural hunting experience have difficulties in killing and
devouring a live cow and the farm workers usually remove the injured
cow for slaughter after fifteen minutes.

The first re-wilded tiger is due to be re-introduced back to the wild during
the Beijing Olympics 2008.”

See many more images here, and check out Foto 8’s other offerings; they’ve got some beautiful things going on over there.

And don’t forget to meet Christian the Lion. Really.