NEW DELHI: Recent talks between India and China on saving the critically endangered tiger were "not a great success", minister for environment and forests Jairam Ramesh admitted on Thursday.
The talks were held during the minister's recent visit to Beijing. Ramesh said the two sides heard each other out, but he was "not very optimistic" of a positive outcome.
"But the primary responsibility of saving the tiger is ours, in India," Ramesh pointed out in reply to a question at a press conference. "We have to strengthen our laws in this matter and the implementation of them.
"And we must ensure local community participation in this process. (Not doing) That is our biggest weakness. Unless we change our point of view in this, we won't be able to save the 1,200 or 1,300 tigers that are still left in the wild."
Tiger parts are used in traditional Chinese medicine, creating a huge demand in that country, which is often met by poaching tigers in India and smuggling the parts, though the possession and sale of tiger parts is officially banned in China.
