"China's government has said it is trying to curb the illegal trade."

Try a little harder, China.

There is a demand for this stuff and it is difficult to stop the illegal trade. Combined with official corruption on both ends and it becomes almost impossible.

The bears they keep for harvesting bile live their entire lives in unspeakable pain with hoses surgically implanted in their gallbladders via incisions in their abdomens. They're confined to cages designed to immobilize them so they can't pull out the hoses.



People who can live with themselves while directly or indirectly supporting this barbaric activity are sub-human and should be subjected to the same cruelty they have no problem inflicting on others.

India's tiger population has been brought near extinction because of Chinese superstition that tiger paws bring luck.

Also other Asian countries are picking up on these useless animal killings, as a middle/wealth class grows . I believe that Vietnam is now the largest buyer of Rhino horn products. A connection to shame may work in Asian cultures perhaps and those buying should be ashamed.
Poachers are brutal but must be stopped, and who is going to stand up to a group of machine guns in the middle of the night ? Only soldiers as it would be combat Governments on both sides need to take a bigger roll on stopping the trade and fight poaching along with export and import and increase education
Animal conservationists can not go it alone.

from the link
The Chinese basketball star Yao Ming has been enlisted by conservationists to help explain to the Chinese people that buying an ivory trinket results in the death of an elephant in Africa. Conservationists say Chinese buyers often do not understand the connection.

yes education is a big part imo
ETA: looks like education is working in Vietnam was not aware of the decrease but read>
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/oct/16/rhino-horn-demand-in-vietnam-drops-by-more-than-33-in-one-year

of the world being decimated because of the greed of the few. The love of money: THE bane of human existence.

they think. They rank slightly above murderers and rapists in my book. That is what they are.
Sick selfish greedy people. F 'em!!!

do share some culpability for the heinous destruction of African elephants.

If we were being culled by the animals for greed, symbolism, religion , food, and or whatever I wonder what we would do, if the shoe was on the proverbial other foot

Well said!