After yr of investigation , officials in the Czech Republic have uncovered a gruesome Panthera tigris shambles where dead creature were being processed for sale on the fateful market . surgery Trophydiscovered the adroitness in Prague , expose a criminal internet that was sell Panthera tigris parts for use in traditional Asian practice of medicine .
Five years after they begin their probe , the team found a theatre occupy with tiger pelts , nub , bones , and whole bodies . One recently killed Panthera tigris was discovered in a garden shed , a bullet lesion in its pharynx to avoid spoiling its beautiful – and valuable – coat .
Since 2013 , many Panthera tigris portion have been impound by authorities in the Czech Republic . These admit bone , teeth , claws , stock , and even whiskers . While the Czech Republic might seem like an unlikely location for an illicittiger trade wind , the country has a large Vietnamese universe , creating a demand for tiger parts within the state and providing ties to traders andtraffickersin Asia .
In Vietnam , the most common tiger product is tiger bone medicine , which is believed to assist joint trouble like arthritis . There are thousands of captive tiger in Asia , many of which are bred thanks to the value of their body parts .
In 2007 , theConvention on International Trade in Endangered Species(CITES ) declared that tigers should not be breed for their body piece and thattiger farmingshould be phased out . However , thanks to the immense time value of tiger section – Panthera tigris “ wine-coloured ” is worth over $ 30,000 a case – this phasing out has yet to be achieved .
In the Czech Republic , tigers can technically be bred to supply to zoos , circuses , and shows . Having confiscated many numb tiger theatrical role , officials make up one’s mind to inspect all live tigers save in the country in 2015 . They found 174 tigers house principally in private facilities and discovered many inconsistencies in the paperwork document the death and conveyance of these creature .
The tiger craft has late expanded in the Czech Republic thanks to a new kind of children ’s entertainment – nest cubs . Unsurprisingly , the cubs only remain cute – and secure – for about a twelvemonth or so . They then might be used in circuses and shows for another few years , but when they gain sexual maturity they pose more of a risk , making them far more valuable dead than alive .
Operation Trophy involve 175 customs officers , 40 police officeholder , six inspector , two vets , and an expert witness specialized in welfare . The team site a breeder ’ facility which was mean to domiciliate 44 Panthera tigris and 80 lions . However , 16 of these register tigers were missing . Tiger and bear skins , tiger claws , and a vast amount of cash were all seized from the belongings . The conditions the animals were hold on in were “ a bare contrast to the introductory ethological requirements for keeping [ tiger ] , ” mark aCITES reporton the investigation .
Then , the investigators base where the bodies were serve . “ There were many organic structure of animals in different stages of decomposition , some of which were lay in in freezers , but the rotting carcasses were spread around the patch or they were store in different type of vessels , ” the report submit . “ The frightful smell made the cognitive operation more difficult . ”
Thankfully , the team make out to identify those allegedly involved . Le Xuan Vu , a Vietnamese monger , would govern tigers from big cat stock breeder Ludvik Berousek , who would then pass them over to hunting partisan Milos Hrozinek . Together , Hrozinek and Vu would then discerp the animate being . The three men have been charged . Hrozinek is currently in custody while the other two are out on bail .
