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Tigers found dead in fridge
24/12/2007 10:41 - (SA)
Beijing - Two Siberian baby tigers
have been discovered dead in a refrigerator at a Chinese zoo,
the second such incident in less than a week involving the
endangered species in a country where tiger body parts are
treasured as medicines.
State media reported on Monday that the baby tigers were
found over the weekend in the freezer in the ticketing office
of the Three Gorges Forest Wildlife Park in the southwestern
province of Chongqing.
"They were born not long ago and are now dead," a park
employee was quoted by the Beijing News as saying.
The discovery comes days after a Siberian tiger was found
skinned and beheaded at a zoo in the same area.
Local authorities are investigating the cause of the
deaths, the newspaper said. Calls to park officials and the
local forestry bureau went unanswered.
China breeds Siberian tigers as a way to protect one of the
world's most endangered species, which mostly lives in
northeast China and Russia.
According to Xinhua, of just 400 estimated to live in the
wild, only 10-17 live in China. Many hundreds live in
captivity, where they are popular in zoos.
Tiger bones are used to treat everything from skin disease
to rheumatism and occasionally used in the production of
special wines as well.
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