AKIPRESS.COM - Over 10 tigers have been slaughtered as entertainment and harvest for wealthy Chinese in the southern province of Guangdong, Digital Journal reported.

Police in Zhanjiang discovered a freshly slaughtered tiger during a raid last week.

Evidence of the trade is beginning to emerge as graphic footage of a tiger being prodded and electrocuted from 2 years ago was released to You Tube.

“Tigers are subjected to slaughter as long as Chinese have faith in the medical value of tiger products, such as their bones or male genitalia, which are actually very controversial in terms of their efficacy,” said Xie Yan, of the Institute of Zoology at Chinese Academy of Sciences during an interview with Global Times.

The tigers were systematically butchered, and the fresh pieces auctioned off to the wealthy for traditional Chinese medicine and as tokens of power. The price of tiger bones was said to have reached $5,000 per pound fueling this black market attended by both rich businessmen as well as local officials.

Local police arrested at least 15 suspects for illegally hunting and slaughtering precious and endangered wild animals. The case is pending further investigation as local and federal government investigate these insidious and unfortunate crimes.