in 1976, when India became a signatory to cites , the Indian tiger, the Greater One-horned Rhinoceros and the Asian elephant were already listed as protected species in the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972. All three species have fared badly despite laws against domestic trade in these species and international trade under cites .

Time is running out for the Indian tiger, which faces extinction due to severe pressure from international trade in tiger skins and bones (see graph: Thriving trade ). Till a few years back, the main demand was for tiger skin, which had a market in rich Western countries and the Middle East. While that declined as a result of anti-fur campaigns, the market for Chinese traditional medicines