Illegal tiger trade: Lessons from South Korea’s success

The illegal wildlife trade is one of the greatest threats to all Asian big cats – tigers, leopards, snow leopards and Asiatic lions, as well as lesser-known species including clouded leopards and the Asiatic cheetah. For that reason, Asian big cats are some of the most strictly protected animals under international law and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, better known as Cites.

But the illegal trade in big cats remains a global issue that affects a diverse range of countries. And, concerningly, it continues to evolve. Major global transport hubs, such as the UK’s Heathrow Airport, are required to remain constantly vigilant for the smuggling of big cat body parts and other wildlife contraband.

One country that has been largely overlooked by the global conservation community is South Korea. In the 1990s, a series of reports identified South Korea as a major player in a trade that was pushing tiger populations to the brink. As a conservation biologist working in partnership with the Tiger and Leopard Conservation Fund in Korea, I wanted to find out what had happened in the 30 years since.

The Korean peninsula was historically home to both Amur tigers and Amur leopards. In the late 19th century, as the country’s ports opened to international trade, there was a wave of exports of big cat skins.

Local populations of these rare...

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