Losing money for “speculative use” of tiger bones
Remember, through many cross-country investigations, especially the trip that I and comedian Xuan Bac were invited to South Africa to observe about the situation of killing rhinos for their horns sold to Asia as a “panacea” to cure cancer… Letters and detoxification, antipyretic – according to the blind faith of the rich. A Western journalist asked Xuan Bac: “Do you think rhino horn has any effect on human health?”. Bac calmly: “Yes!”. I turned pale. We (once accompanied by Diva Hong Nhung, Member of the National Assembly Vo Tuan Nhan, now Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, Hanoi Public Security) were invited to come to learn, write articles and then talk to the public. the whole country is to stop using rhino horn, it really doesn’t do much; while these rare and lovely rhino species are on the verge of extinction.
… Who would have thought, while many people were bewildered, turned out, “Nam Tao” Xuan Bac laughed humorously: “Yes, when sharpening a rhino horn, it has the effect of training the muscles of the hand!”. I added, I went to investigate, and saw that they were grinding too hard, putting the horn as hard as cold steel on the porcelain turntable. Just grind it so badly, you can drink soluble ceramics (because the grinding disc is softer than rhino horn) but there’s no horny substance. But the horny substance is like your fingernails. Someone said, rhino horn has the effect of purifying the body, reducing fever. An expert sighed: If you have a fever, buy Efferalgan medicine, a few thousand dong a pack, drink it immediately. If purifying the body, there are thousands of functional foods and herbs and then practicing, why must kill the rarest and largest animal of the other planet to get its horn? Remember, the Efferalgan antipyretic package instead of the rumored effect of rhino horn costs only a few thousand dong (US$0.3) and any pharmacy is selling it!
After that dialogue we were more enlightened with the perspective of foreign journalists. Andrew Peterson, Director of the Rhino Conservation Fund, also came to Hanoi to visit me and enthusiastically suggested: If rhino horn can cure cancer, I would like to give Vietnam the whole stock of horns that I am keeping (inventory after the cases, later in the future). when the rhino dies in the jungle) at our place to save lives. What do you have ?
Indeed, many rare and wild animals, protected by the whole world, have died miserably, unjustly, and unjustly because of blind people. They fooled themselves, thinking of all sorts of “miracle uses” of tiger’s feet, rhinoceros horns, bear bile, and elephant skin. A typical example is the story of the tall tiger bone.
Over the past 20 years, scientists have been walking through the Vietnamese forest without recording any traces of wild tigers. Only recently, in August 2022, did I hear fleeting information about the tiger “re-appearing” in Phong Nha – Ke Bang that shook public opinion. 22 years ago, also the only time in thousands of years of Vietnamese history, a wild tiger was captured by EU camera traps in Pu Mat National Park (Nghe An province). Thus, to see how rare tigers in Vietnam are. However, people cook tiger soup everywhere, compete with each other to “collect money” to buy a live tiger to slaughter, cook it, lock the valve, install a camera in the pot to monitor seven days and nights. Then excitedly dredged up the high pot, divided high according to the ratio of the money. They think they are good, know how to play and know how to relate…
Mr. Ngo Van Quan, Chairman of Tien Phong commune in Pho Yen district, Thai Nguyen province was arrested at home while killing a high-cooked weighted tiger. Subject named Hien in Do Thanh commune, Yen Thanh district, Nghe An province was accused when reporters secretly filmed a series of investigative articles “Horrifying the tricks of slaughtering wild animals” (winning A, Prize). National Press in 2021, published on Dan Viet Electronic Newspaper) and then arrested by the police, now he has been sentenced to 7 years in prison (in 2022). In the same case, two subjects were arrested for illegally transporting 7 small tigers (the “baby” tigers are now 50kg/head and raised in Phong Nha – Ke Bang National Park), also sentenced to 9 years in prison almost the same. occasion with Hien mentioned above.
What do the above cases show? They buy tiger cubs from illegal farms, breed inbreeding tigers in Laos (we have investigated and have pictures attached to this article), transported to Vietnam and sold to captives. They illegally raised tigers in dungeons, underground, fed dead pigs, dead chickens, from birth to slaughter to cook high, tigers hardly see sunlight. They are given weight gain food, laced with many harmful chemicals. When slaughtering, freezing, transporting, pour a mountain of marinated chemicals (to avoid rotting and discoloring billions of dollars). When cooked high to sell floating on social networks (for “super cheap”), or cooks use tricks (most people can’t buy tigers to cook for themselves) the devil to mix, add extra ingredients. join in. They also put lime residue to create high turbidity of the bottom of the wine bottle, give Western drugs, especially anti-inflammatory drugs, pain relievers, and opium to artificially “euphoric” the user.
As journalists, we have enough audio recordings, video recordings, and witnesses to support this statement: never before has a tiger skeleton been mixed up, mixed up and brutally mixed to sell on social networks and internet (as well as in real life) as it is now. And illegal captive tigers are dirty, toxic, how can a high pot not be a danger to consumers’ health? That is not to mention the great legal risks when buying banned goods (tiger), being criminally handled by investigative agencies.
Besides, the key thing now is: it is necessary to have research, convincing documents, improve law enforcement in this field, to warn those who are too blind to deify the so-called “high tigers”. core”; at the same time strictly handle all violations to set an example. Equally important is that we need to study more and apply more products to replace the so-called “effect of tiger bone extract”.
It is true that Doctor Nguyen Van The, Hospital of Traditional Medicine, Ministry of Public Security said frankly in the Launching Ceremony of the Social Project Reducing the demand for tiger products in Vietnam, that: “Tiger bone extract” no therapeutic effect as rumored. Professor Nguyen Lan Dung also shared the same opinion as above. Therefore, scientists, especially physicians, call for “behavior changes to reduce the need to use tiger products for therapeutic purposes in Vietnam”, especially when they We are in a hot market for illegal tiger products. Two years ago, Dr. Tran Xuan Nguyen, as Head of the Specialty Committee of the Central Committee of the Vietnam Oriental Medicine Association, also passionately said: Reducing and moving towards eliminating the use of tiger extract is also an active work “to protect reputation, prestige and sustainable development of Traditional Medicine for our development”.
Mr. Nguyen Van The emphasized: There are many fake tigers on the market, but even “real” tigers, it is necessary to be aware of this key issue. Tiger bone broth mainly contains calcium, and the calcium of the high pot, in order for it to “absorb” into the user’s bones, it also depends on at least 3 issues. Medicine clearly shows that, in order for calcium to enter the user’s bones, they must prescribe 3 drugs. Therefore, eating/drinking tiger bone extract and absorbing calcium well is “a bit difficult” (verbally Mr. The). Certainly, the effect of this is very low, while the amount of money spent to buy tiger gum is too expensive (one or two billion VND/tiger sold illegally).
Everyone knows, the current black market price, one tael of tiger is about 25 to 35 million VND. While treating joint pain, not to mention Western medicine, only Eastern medicine, there are all kinds of “good and cheap” drugs that the elderly have used for thousands of years, proving their effectiveness very clearly. Such as, seriousness, broken bones, millennial lawsuits, sloppiness, vulgarity… The professors and leading experts in the industry have all spoken out, for some reason, many people still vaguely believe in the so-called “high-potentiality”. lava”. Subjects chiseled and honed each piece of bone of cattle, dogs and cats, to create round holes such as phoenix-shaped kneecaps, tiger’s sail-shaped bones (the above two factors are considered important signals – that people think – that’s definitely only “genuine” tiger bones). Even folk want to have a skeleton that the dog can smell and run away, so that it is worthy of the king of the forest, the subjects also put chemicals in the tiger’s meat, letting the dogs run away. As written above, many people use their own bodies to think and try to see if tiger bone extract is “supplemented”, the subjects have given up Western drugs, opium and colorants, odors, and turbidity. in order to trick consumers. It’s all a trick of the merchant.
Many tiger dealers have revealed to us the tricks of mixing and exchanging the bones of dogs and cats, cattle, buffaloes, and tigers… In Laos and Thailand, the technology of “aesthetic surgery for dog bones into tiger bones” has been sold to us. Vietnam.
Statistics from the Education Center for Nature of Vietnam (ENV), in just 1.6 years from 2019 to mid-2020, recorded 720 acts of violating and encroaching on tigers in practice and 652 acts of violation. violate regulations on tiger protection on social networking sites. Through the cases, the authorities have arrested and confiscated 26 tiger individuals, of which 3 are still alive, the rest are frozen tigers or tiger products.
Not only using other types of animal bone broth to cook and then impersonate “tiger bone marrow” to profit, according to Master Hoang Khanh Toan, as Dean of the Department of Traditional Medicine at 108 Military Hospital analyzed: The most dangerous thing is that people who cook high often mix some anti-inflammatory and strong pain relievers to trick people who are being tormented by joint pain. The immediate feeling of “effectiveness” has made many patients believe and willing to spend a large amount of money to buy tiger gum (which is fake tiger gum). However, the use of these fake tigers not only does not improve the condition, but can also get worse after a long time of use.
Recently, the Center for Allergy, Clinical Immunology and Poison Control, Bach Mai Hospital has had to receive and treat many patients suffering from allergic reactions and toxicity, liver and kidney failure…, even death after when using products of natural origin such as rhino horn, bear bile, tiger bone…
Doctor of ScienceNghiem Vu Khai is a member of the National Assembly for the XI, XII and XIV courses, former Deputy Minister of Science and Technology, former Vice Chairman of the National Assembly’s Committee for Science, Technology and Environment, and former Vice Chairman of the Union of Science and Technology. Vietnamese technical school emphasized in conversation with this writer:
“It is not overnight that we can erase the perception of the effectiveness as a “panacea” of traditional medicines, including products from wild animals. East Asian countries such as China, Japan, Vietnam, and Korea are places where this custom has existed since ancient times.
However, in Japan, for example, people have produced equivalent substitutes for wildlife products. Although there are no longer ingredients from wild animals, those drugs and functional foods are still used by people who have a “habit” of using wild animals…
As a heart medicine, in the past, the Japanese used a lot of things extracted from wild animals, recently they use other things that are not wild animals but still have good effects and are trusted by many people.
I spent a long time as a PhD student in Japan so I know this is a very difficult process of change. From responsibility, national attitude towards the Washington Convention (CITES) to people’s consciousness creates a pressure on the Government, policy makers force them to change.
And finally, scientific and technological studies have successfully solved that difficult problem.
It is very necessary to encourage and replicate useful activities that many scientists and businesses are doing, such as developing medicinal species, precious medicinal plants such as cordyceps, Ngoc Linh ginseng, rare species. other. This is the right direction, in line with the policy of environmental protection, sustainable and harmonious development of the country.”
