08 March 2023 , 15:31
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Five poachers have been jailed for slaughtering a tiger and her cub.
Each of the men was sentenced to five years for killing the majestic creatures in a national park in Thailand in 2022.
The court in Kanchanburi Province, around 90 miles west of Bangkok, said the men prowled through Thong Pha Phum National Park before shooting the big cats.
They then skinned their carcasses and smoked their bones with the intention of selling the parts on the black market.
Every part of the tiger, from whisker to tail, has been found in illegal markets across the globe.
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Their bones are often used in medicine and folk remedies and the skin is often seen as a symbol of status for some communities in Asia.
Rangers discovered the illegal material in January 2022 before seizing the body parts and photographing themselves with the haul.
Official images taken in the jungle showed two tiger pelts, with bones and carcasses on the floor.
In court, the men claimed they killed the animals as revenge for livestock attacks.
Tigers are endangered, with around 4,500 left in the wild, and only 200 in Thailand (Getty Images)The court said the men, who lived in a remote village, should have been "protective of nature" considering their home was surrounded with it.
Tigers are currently endangered, with just 4,500 thought to be still in the wild.
The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) says the numbers of the big cats have dwindled to just 200 in Thailand despite recent efforts to increase the tiger population.
The illegal trade in dead tigers is largely driven by Chinese and Vietnamese buyers, who use their skin, bones and other body parts for traditional medicine.
Critics argue that there is very little verifiable scientific evidence or studies to support their effectiveness.
Charoen Jaichon, the directors of Thong Pha Phum National Park, said he was "happy that justice has been delivered".
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He added: “This is a strong warning to any illegal hunters in Thailand’s national parks.”