Study Buddy (Explorer): China vendors pass off painted ox bones as those of tigers

[2] When the authorities confronted the vendors, they admitted the bones they were selling were from oxen. They had been painted with yellow and black stripes to resemble tiger skin and passed off as tiger bones.

[3] Tiger bones were a precious ingredient in traditional Chinese medicine, or TCM. They were used in treatments that some believed could cure many diseases and conditions, including inflammation, and were also thought to strengthen human bones.

[4] Some households still store a blend of the bones soaked in white wine with herbs, believing the mixture is more effective the longer it is kept. Although it is illegal to trade tiger parts in China, it is unclear if people are allowed to trade wine made before the ban came into effect.

[5] In 2022, a wildlife biologist at Beijing Normal University, Feng Limin, told the newspaper Guangming Daily that the endangered Siberian tiger – the bones of which were originally used in TCM – is the only surviving wild tiger subspecies found on Chinese land today. Feng explained that there were 100,000 wild tigers in Asia a century ago, but only 3,000 to 5,000 remain today.

[6] Rhino horns are also believed to be a potent TCM ingredient that can prevent strokes and reduce fever. Before 1993, the Angong Niuhuang pill, which was made from rhino horns, was deemed a cure-all. These days–, the pill is made with buffalo horns.

[7] In 2018, China sparked outcry worldwide after its State Council proposed legislation that would allow the sale of rhino and tiger products under “special circumstances”, including scientific research, cultural education, and medical research.

[8] When international animal rights advocates protested the announcement, China quickly restored the ban on rhino and tiger products, saying: “The Chinese government will not ease the crackdown on illegal trafficking and trade of rhinos, tigers and their by-products”.
Source: South China Morning Post, January 11

1. In paragraph 1, the vendors were caught …
A. selling items without a licence.
B. selling fake “tiger bones”.
C. selling parts of a tiger.
D. none of the above

2. What did the vendors do to make the ox bones look like those of a tiger according to paragraph 2?

3. According to paragraph 3, what did people in olden times believe consuming tiger bones could do?

4. How do some people keep tiger bones according to paragraph 4?

5. According to paragraph 4, what legal complications exist regarding tiger parts?

6. According to paragraph 6, what substitute ingredient is used in the Angong Niuhuang pill today?

7. Decide whether the following statements in paragraphs 5 and 6 are True, False or the Information is Not Given. (4 marks)
(i) There are less than 1,000 wild tigers in Asia today.
(ii) Siberian tiger bones were used in Chinese TCM in the past.
(iii) Some people believe rhino horns can cure all illnesses.
(iv) Angong Niuhuang pills made from buffalo horns are just as effective as those made from rhino horns.

8. In paragraph 7, people reacted … when the Chinese State Council said it would be legal to sell rhino and tiger products in a few special situations.
A. happily
B. sadly
C. excitedly
D. angrily

9. How did China respond to protests against the legalisation of selling rhino and tiger products according to paragraph 8?

1. B
2. They painted yellow and black stripes on the bones to resemble tiger skin.
3. cure a range of diseases and strengthen human bones.
4. They store a blend of the bones soaked in white wine with herbs.
5. Although it is illegal to trade tiger parts, it is unclear if the law applies to tiger wine made before the ban.
6. buffalo horns
7. (i) F; (ii) T; (iii) F; (iv) NG
8. D
9. It restored the ban on rhino and tiger products.