(photo for illustration only: thiennhien.net

Education for Nature - Vietnam (ENV) has just released a short film calling upon people to join hands to stop the killing of tigers by saying no to tiger bone glue, the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Online Newspaper reported.

The film criticises the backward viewpoint of some people that tiger bone glue is not only a good medicine but also shows off one’s success and status amongst friends and colleagues.

The main character of the film is a newly appointed member of the board of directors. To impress other members of the board, he uses tiger bone glue as a gift at his first board meeting. However, the gift is not well received but creates the opposite impression of what he had hoped, tarnishing his image.

Apart from the message "Tiger bone glue will not impress anyone”, the short film also calls on viewers to protect tigers by reporting tiger crimes to authorities or via the free hotline 1800 1522.

Currently, a lot of Vietnamese people, especially men, still believe that tiger bone glue is a miracle medicine to help treat bone diseases, improve health and enhance vitality. In Vietnam, tiger bone glue is usually used as gifts among entrepreneurs, officials, and wealthy people.

Over the past few decades, the tiger population in the world has declined sharply, mainly due to poaching, trade and habitat loss. According to statistics, Vietnam currently has only about 30 tigers living in the wild. Economic development and people’s improved living standards are believed to have increased demand for tiger bone glue.

"Some people still believe that using tiger bone glue for treatment is fashionable, is a way to express their rank. However, it is the time for us to wake up, we need to think and act based on the science, and in a way suitable with a civilized era. The actions and unfounded beliefs leading to tiger hunting and trafficking need to be changed," Deputy Director of ENV Nguyen Thi Phuong Dung.

She also warned that Vietnam's tigers could soon suffer the same fate as the one-horned rhino, which was announced to be extinct in Vietnam in 2010.

This is the 18th film in a series of short films for communication to raise awareness in order to reduce consumption of endangered and rare wildlife products of ENV.

The films will be broadcast on central and local television channels.

Source: VNA