Tiger Crisis
(1994)
A hard-hitting and in-depth investigation into the illegal tiger trade, Tiger Crisis brought the sheer scale of the poaching industry to international attention. Scripted by passionate conservationist Stephen Mills, who has studied tigers and championed their preservation for over two decades, this BBC production uses hidden cameras as it travels throughout Asia, revealing the shocking extent of the tiger trade.
Vivid and unsettling, contrasts are drawn as footage of a tigers’ capture, slaughter, and subsequent skinning is interwoven with images of them undisturbed in their natural habitat. As they hunt, swim and play, a pelt is calmly exchanged for a Mercedes and a raided Chinese herbalist shop is littered with their skulls and bones.
A powerful and deeply moving piece, this award-winning production examines how previously successful conservation initiatives, such as Project Tiger, have been undermined. Culminating in the biggest discovery of slaughtered tigers in India’s history, Tiger Crisis brings to light the perilous position of these big cats and the imminent nature of their extinction.
