Tiger
In TalesTiger
In Tales
By Alain Burrese
Horangi tambae mokul chok
Korea has a rich heritage, full of folk tales, proverbs and maxims. Many of
these tales and sayings focus on one of the most majestic animals to live on our
planet; the tiger. The oldest and most often cited legend of the origin of the
Korean people is about Tan-gun, and although the tiger in this tale lacks the
perseverance to remain in the cave with the bear for 100 days, he is still a
major character in the story.
Sadly, this distinguished feline could soon very well only remain in legends and
lore of yesterday. If you watch the STAR channel for English television shows
here in Korea, you are probably familiar with the disturbing commercial that
shows the various ways tigers are being killed and used around the world,
especially here in Asia. The commercial ends with the statement that in five
years the tiger could be extinct from the wild if we do not do something.
Currently the world-wide tiger population has slumped to an all-time low. Only
5,000 tigers exist in the wild. According to the Zoological Society of London,
this is a drop of 10,000 tigers in the past 30 years. The decline has
accelerated during the past decade despite concerted efforts from
conservationists to save the species. Part of this decline is due to habitat
destruction, but more significantly, it can be blamed on the recent growth in
demand for tiger body parts for use in traditional Chinese medicine.
Even though it is illegal under the Convention on International Trade in
Endangered Species, the trade of tiger body parts constitutes a large part of
the global wildlife trade. Tiger bones and parts are used in a variety of ways;
from herbal medicines to the so called delicacy - tiger penis soup. It not only
saddens me, but infuriates me that people will exterminate a species of animal
for nothing more than magical potions to increase their libido.
According to Sarah Christie, the Zoological Society of London's tiger
co-coordinator, some tiger parts have anti-inflammatory and other properties,
but they are still not as good as an aspirin. The increase in the Far East per
capita incomes has meant that more people can afford traditional herbal
medicines, treated as luxuries, and they are buying them to show off their
wealth. Again, anger and anguish arise as I think of these beautiful denizens of
the jungle being slaughtered for nothing other than people's vanity.
At least 1,900 kilos of tiger bone were exported to Japan from Taiwan in 1990,
according to Richard Burge, the society's director general. "That's the
equivalent of 400-500 tigers. The increase in the use of tiger parts in herbal
medicine is out weighing any increases in the number of tigers we might hope
for," he said. Tiger bones and parts are also some of the most commonly
found animal products smuggled in to Britain.
My particular favorite sub-species is the white tiger, which there haven't been
any in the wild for years. Because of the drastically low numbers of these
tigers, in-breeding has heightened the rate of cub mortality and genetic
defects. Now as populations of their orange cousins decline, the risks
associated with in-breeding are appearing elsewhere. Some sub-species are more
at risk than others. The South China tiger is currently closest to extinction
with just 20 individuals recorded in the wild.
The society predicts a continuation of the decline, so they are co-coordinating
existing tiger sperm and egg banks around the world as part of the fight to save
the tiger. We all need to join this fight to help eliminate the illegal use and
trade of tiger bones and parts. If there were no demand, those killing the
tigers wouldn't make a profit, and the tiger could have a fighting chance to
continue living in the jungles and forests of our shrinking planet.
There's an old Korean saying, Horangi
tambae mokul chok, which is "When tigers smoked long pipes." This
is equivalent to the English, "Once-upon-a-time." Wouldn't it be
terribly sad if our future generations were to say, "When tigers smoked
long pipes, there were tigers."
This originally appeared in the May 2, 1997 issue of the Korea Herald.
For more information on tigers and how you can help, visit:
5 Tigers: The Tiger Information Center
