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Saiga horn user characteristics, motivations, and purchasing behaviour in Singapore: Research Brief
The saiga is a Critically Endangered antelope from Central Asia. Its horn is used in traditional Chinese medicines (TCM)mainly to treat fever and heatiness (a TCM state of illness with symptoms like nasal congestion and sore throat). Poaching for saigas in the 1990’s caused a <95% population decline(Milner-Gullandet al. 2001). Poaching still persists today despite many policy efforts from range states and international bodies (CMS-CITES 2005). Saiga have also been impacted by recent mass bacterial and viral disease outbreaks (Kock et al. 2018). Singapore is recognised as a topsaiga consumer country (CITES 2018). Saiga horn is marketed most commonly as ling yang (羚羊) or antelope’s horn. Sometimes "Cornu Saiga tataricae" is listed as an ingredient. Common alternatives are barley water, chrysanthemum tea, honeysuckle, and goat’s horn.
Resulting policy brief of Doughty et al. (2019) used for the 2019 CITES Conference of the Parties. DOI: 10.31235/osf.io/sjqpu, (brief was discussed by delegates during saiga up-listing discourse)
Published: May 2020 | Categories: Research Briefs