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Baby Asian Tiger
Asian Tigers
Episode 3073 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature a story about the contention that the American Vietnam War caused the near extinction of the Asian Tigers. The featured story comes from an Op=Ed that appeared on the Revelator website and is titled: 50 Years Later: The Vietnam War’s Enduring Effect on the Tiger Trade – The war created systems that enabled trafficking in tigers and other animals. We can finally address that legacy and help both people and wildlife. The Op-Ed was submitted by Rob Pickles. He leads Panthera’s counter wildlife crime research and analytics.
In the op-ed titled “50 Years Later: The Vietnam War’s Enduring Effect on the Tiger Trade” published by The Revelator, Rob Pickles explores how the legacy of the Vietnam War continues to shape the illegal tiger trade across Southeast Asia. The piece marks the 50th anniversary of the war’s end by connecting wartime destruction to long-term environmental consequences.
He argues that U.S. bombing campaigns and defoliation operations, such as Agent Orange, devastated tiger habitats in Laos, Vietnam, and Cambodia. As forests were razed, tiger populations plummeted. In the postwar years, economic desperation and weakened governance in the region laid fertile ground for poaching and trafficking networks. Tigers, once symbols of strength in local folklore, became commodities in a booming black market driven by demand for traditional medicine, trophies, and status symbols.
The op-ed highlights how former military trails like the Ho Chi Minh Trail now serve as smuggling routes for wildlife parts. Pickles calls for renewed international cooperation, particularly with Vietnam and Laos, to protect remaining tiger populations and preserve biodiversity. He closes by urging readers to recognize the hidden ecological costs of war—costs that linger long after the last gunshots fade.
Listen to Episode 3073 and discover more about the contention that the American Vietnam War caused the near extinction of the Asian Tigers.
