A new report from the Environment Investigation Agency (EIA) has revealed the shocking treatment of endangered animals in the Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone, a resort city that caters to Chinese tourists.
According to the report, the area includes a "bustling trade in endangered species' parts," The Guardian reports. The EIA report calls the zone a "lawless playground" that doesn't have "even a pretense of enforcement." Gambling is illegal in China, so the Laos area is already a draw, but that's just the beginning of the zone's questionable activity.
Investigators found a live bear and python were "available to eat on request" in the zone's God of Fortune restaurant, and the menu also included bear paw, snakes, and turtles. Another restaurant served what was allegedly tiger meat as well as wine made with crushed tiger bones. The investigators also visited a tiger and bear farm at the zone and found that it held more captive tigers than Laos' entire wild tiger population.
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The report also reveals that a variety of ivory trinkets, as well as stuffed tigers, are openly for sale inside the zone. The Guardian notes that Laos' president and prime minister have even visited the area, so it's hard to believe they aren't aware of the area's suspicious activity.
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