Lament To Miss-placed Faith

Conservationists say the number of tigers in India has dropped alarmingly in recent years, and that forest officials in many game reserves have been covering up the problem.

State officials, have suggested that extensive mining and farming might have scared the tigers away.

It has been hopefully suggested that the tigers might be hiding, and return later.

The main reason, it is believed, is the high price to be gained from the use of tiger parts in traditional Chinese medicine. The head, skin, claws, meat, blood and penis all command high prices. A whole body, ground down and separated into various medicines, could in total command around $50,000.