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By Derek Sandhaus
Its hardly news to say that China has a bad record when it comes to animal cruelty. Less than ten days after China began working on raising the bar for treatment of slaughter animals it looks like more trouble is brewing for our furry friends, this time in Hubei province.
Earlier this week authorities were shocked to discover that a Siberian tiger, a critically endangered species, was brutally dismembered and skinned at the Three Gorges Forest Wild Animal World in Yichang. The apparent motivation for this revolting act is the high price that tiger pelts and body parts (used for traditional Chinese medicine) fetch on the black market.
Sadly, the story just got worse. Following the investigation of the Siberian tiger incident, officials also discovered two stillborn Bengal tiger cubs in a freezer at the same zoo!!! Their deaths should have been reported to the authorities but, of course, were not.
The fact that anyone would be greedy enough to murder endangered animals at a zoo is sickening enough. That the poachers could be the same zoo employees hired to take care of the animals is just that much harder to stomach.
Photo from ucumari
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On a side note, what will happen to the newly deceased tiger at the SF Zoo? Will its pelt be buried underground or sold online? see (http://edition.cnn.com/2007/US/12/25/tiger.attack/index.html). And is it right to label this kind of event as animal cruelty? Geesh, is did what it would do if it was in the wild. Interesting how actions can be interpretted.
"The point is, ladies and gentleman, that greed, for lack of a better word, is good. Greed is right, greed works. Greed clarifies, cuts through, and captures the essence of the evolutionary spirit. Greed, in all of its forms; greed for life, for money, for love, knowledge has marked the upward surge of mankind.
- Gordon Gekko (Wall Street)
So basically it's all about greed. Generating a supply at any cost to meet the demand. Shamelessly preying on others (in this case tigers) to make a quick buck. A zoo is a business after all. Isn't the greed driven pursuit for profit what capitalism preaches? How is this any different from Enron, Tyco, Worldcom and the dozens of other greed-driven, life-ruining businesses?
Good reporting. I'm just not that surprised.
M&A: muddled and asinine
Stop trying to be witty and go SAVE THE TIGERS!