Chinese medicine interest threatens rare species

LONDON, Nov 17 (Reuters) Britons are embracing traditional Chinese medicine and unwittingly fuelling a 10 billion dollar illegal trade in the world's most endangered species, police said.

The market in London for products made from tiger bone, rhino horn and bear bile has grown to such an extent that a special police taskforce is trying to stamp it out.

''We cannot expect the international trade to stop while it continues here in London,'' Janet Williams, London's deputy assistant police commissioner, told a news conference today.

Rare breeds have been decimated, not just because of demand from China but also Westerners wanting alternative treatments.

Since 1970, about 98 per cent of the world's black rhino have been killed for their horns largely to supply the Chinese medicine trade. And fewer than 5,000 tigers are estimated to be left in the wild, compared with 100,000 in 1990.

The Metropolitan Police launched Operation Charm in 1995 to tackle the trade, and since then have seized over 30,000 endangered species items, most destined for Chinese medicine.

But it is an uphill battle.

Andy Fisher, head of the Met's Wildlife Crime Unit, believes education is needed alongside law enforcement.

''Many Westerners are now turning to Chinese medicine. It is a trendy alternative, but few if any of them have any awareness of what is used in some of the products they buy,'' he said.

Most Chinese medicine practitioners do not use illegal products, but a persistent minority does. And with the global Chinese medicine market growing by 18 percent a year, that minority can have a major impact.

The trade is highly lucrative. The world's largest seizure of rhino horns, 129, occurred in 1996 in London's upscale South Kensington neighbourhood. With rhino horn worth more than gold, ounce for ounce, the haul had a black market value of millions of pounds.

SUPERSTITION AND GREED Professor Bo-Ying Ma of the Federation of Traditional Chinese Medicine blames superstition as well as greed.

''Many people often have the misconception that Chinese medicine has to use items from endangered species, but this is totally wrong,'' said Ma.

He said people demand tiger bone in their medicine because they mistakenly believe they can tap the tiger's power.

Alternatives to endangered species are available, he said.

Olivia Loh, a conservationist, said Britons buying Chinese medicine should demand to know the ingredients and should walk away if they have any doubts.

''We must tackle the demand side of the equation. Londoners can made a great difference globally,'' said Loh of the Active Conservation Awareness Programme.

The Met's Andy Fisher agrees.

''People are trafficking endangered species because people are buying it. If there was no money to be made from killing these animals then they wouldn't bother doing it.'' REUTERS SY KP2336