Viagra can save tigers. Experts in the field of Chinese traditional medicine have been using rare and powerful animals to treat some very “piquant” disorders for several thousand years. For example, the oldest means to combat erectile dysfunction is the tiger’s penis.
An increasing number of animals are being killed for medical purposes to produce miracle drugs and luxury goods. But the growth of the Chinese economy and the introduction of certain drugs, such as Viagra or its generics, may reduce the percentage of rare animals’ death.
We still cannot rely on experience, but we believe that the rapid and effective action of sildenafil, the main component of Viagra will allow the Chinese to take a different look at Western medicine,” said William von Hippel, a psychologist at the University of New South Wales, Australia.
Von Hippel was the head of research aimed at exploring the possibility of introducing generic or branded Viagra into the Chinese market.
Von Hippel’s study showed that middle-aged men from China began using Western medicines to treat erectile dysfunction instead of tiger penis, as well as seal and rhino horn penises. However, the same men continue using traditional Chinese remedies for the treatment of other diseases.
In the last 60 years, 3 out of 8 tigers’ subspecies have died out, one for every 20 years. There are about 1200 tigers in the wild in India, although 10 years ago there were 2 times more of them, and at the beginning of the 20th century – 100 thousand species. Poachers continue killing tigers and are transporting valuable drug ingredients to China.
But can Viagra act as an alternative?
Its popularity in recent years is connected not only with advertising but also with a very affordable price. Tigers’ or rhino horns’ penises are extremely difficult to obtain, and they are very expensive. It is not always possible to help cure erectile dysfunction. Only rich patients can afford this kind of treatment. Viagra, in this case, is available to almost everyone.
On the other hand, the high cost of products made from extinct animals can turn them into symbols of the high class. As in many other countries, the desire for luxury and power makes many animals the target of poachers, including elephants, tigers, rhinos, sharks and others.
The wasteful consumption of valuable resources by the rich can come to naught thanks to the nature protection movements in China, just as it happened in Europe and North America, where it was forbidden to use natural fur in fashion shows.
Von Hippel noted that the environmental protection movement had only just begun to develop in China, but it was already capable of reducing the number of murders of rare animals by poachers for the production of luxury goods and exotic medications.