Preferences for lion and tiger bone wines amongst the urban public in China and Vietnam

Abstract

A controversial, multifaceted debate surrounds the trade in commercially captive-bred (farmed) lion skeletons. A prominent topic relates to relative preferences for tiger and lion bone in Asian consumer countries. To contribute preliminary information on this subject we conducted the first quantitative study to assess the consumer preferences of the urban public in China and Vietnam for lion versus tiger and wild versus farmed bone wine products. Using an online questionnaire we ranked respondents’ stated preference for wild tiger, farmed tiger, wild lion, and farmed lion bone, and tested for the effect of demographic and attitudinal variables on product preferences. Our findings indicate that in both China and Vietnam tiger bone wine is greatly preferred over lion bone wine, and that respondents showed high levels of fidelity to their choice of farmed or wild designation across species. We emphasise the real-world complexity of lion and tiger bone product interactions and highlight opportunities for further in-depth study.