From seizure to sentence: Weak prosecution leaves tigers vulnerable to trafficking in Southeast Asia: Report
A report from Canada's GuArdean Centre for Conservation Research, TRAFFIC and WWF International examined 259 tiger-related seizures across seven Southeast Asian countries from 2019 to 2024 and found fewer than half resulted in jail time, fines or any clear penalty. Only 110 cases led to punishment, 35 got suspended sentences, and dozens more had no recorded outcome at all. Wild tiger populations have collapsed from roughly 100,000 a century ago to about 4,000 today.
Most prosecutions targeted low-level couriers and poachers rather than the organized crime networks researchers say run the trade in skins, bones and teeth destined mainly for China. Vietnam and Indonesia accounted for the bulk of successful prosecutions, largely because they are the only countries that bother keeping public records; Myanmar reported zero successful cases.
Researchers say tiger parts have shifted from traditional medicine toward luxury status symbols, wine and jewelry, giving the trade fresh commercial life even as enforcement stays patchy. Report authors are calling for tougher sentencing and better case-building to disrupt the syndicates rather than just the couriers who get caught.
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