Nghe An: Tigers raised as pigs VietNamNet Bridge – Four tigers are bred in a room of less than 15m2. It is unbelievable but it is the truth in the central province of Nghe An. One of the four tigers raised by C. Until we witnessed four adult tigers being raised in a 15sq.m room of a household in Do Thanh Commune, Yen Thanh District, Nghe An province, we believed that the information we had been provided by sources wasn’t true.  The tiger breeder, who is over 30 years old, innocently told us that his family and others in the commune breed tigers as an “economic model”, like raising pigs. And this "economic model" has brought about hundreds of millions dong (tens of thousands of USD) per year for his family. At first, there was only one household raising tigers. Then seeing the huge profits from this “economic model,” many families have also bought tigers to raise as domestic animals.  A series of reports by VietNamNet reporters will expose how these endangered animals are bred. Breeding tigers  Three of the four adult tigers at C’s house. After one year, the biggest is 170kg. In early May 2012, we received this incredible information from H., a new friend from Ha Tinh. He said the media had reported about tiger farms, now he would like to take us to the place where tigers are bred as “pigs.” Indeed the information from this man surprised us, who thought that only rich men could breed tigers for fun. We could not imagine about a rural hamlet where tigers are reared in groups. Seeing our doubts, H. urged us to go immediately. Unlike other villages, Do Thanh has the advantage of lying close to the National Highway 1A and economic centers of northern Nghe An so it is quite developed. The path to this commune is smooth, with two-story houses and villas along the road. The house of brothers C and H is located near the fields. It looks like other rural house, with only one storey and very spacious. When we arrived, the two brothers and their father were all at home. The two brothers were very warm to see their old friend again and we, who first came to their home.  We asked them about the family’s business. The younger brother, H, said that in this village, there are a lot of rare things like numbness horns, tiger bone glue, elephant tusks, bear bile and even living tigers. "Besides living products, numbness horns, tiger bone glue, elephant tusks, bear bile are 100% genuine. If there is a demand, you can be assured of quality but the prices are slightly higher. Of course I make sure that they are not as expensive as in the floating market," H introduced. ''Could I buy a living tiger to make tiger bone glue?'' I asked H. H said living tigers are available, especially adult tigers of over 100 kg, pricing at VND4-VND5 million ($200-250) per kilo. “If you want to buy breeding tigers of 3-5kg, they are also available but you have to order in advance. They are very expensive, from VND150 to VND180 million ($7,500-8,000)” he said. H disclosed that his family had raised 4 tigers for over one year. “At the purchase, they were only 3kg but now they are between 130kg to 170kg,” he added. Tiger cages as pigsty ''As farmers we have nothing to do to make much money. After learning how to grow tigers, we cooperated with another family to buy some tigers to raise them, like raising pigs,'' H. said. At first, we imagined the tiger cage must be a very special place. But when we were taken to the cage, we could not help stunned. The room of about 14m2 behind the living room of this family is the home to four adult tigers. H. said that in his family, only his brother, C, could have access to bath and feed the four tigers because C had taken care of them when they were babies. “Although these tigers are very gentle, no family member dares to move close to them,” H said. ''Our four tigers are ready for sale now. I will pay a commission to you if you help us find customers. The price is VND4.5 million ($230)/kg, including transport fee,” H told us. Unlike H., his brother named C seemed to be calmer. C’s job is staying at home to take care of his “babies,” the way he called his tigers.  After a friendly chat, C. said that we could enter the tiger cage at noon, after the animals are fed. Phan Song La