Tigers: Hunting the Traffickers – Everything you need to know

Here's everything you need to know about the hard but important watch.

When is Tigers: Hunting the Traffickers on TV?

The documentary will air on BBC Two on Wednesday 4th March at 9pm. It will also be available on BBC iPlayer shortly after broadcast.

What is it about?

Kane reports on the brutal tiger trafficking trade in South East Asia. It is worth warning that the documentary contains gruesome images of the animals being used for products such as wine and glue, was well as shocking footage of breeding facilities and tigers being fattened for slaughter.

With fewer than 4,000 tigers left in the wild, however, it's an important subject matter, one that shines a light on trafficking routes in Malaysia, China, Thailand, Laos and Vietnam.

Kane will also enlist the help of wildlife crime investigators trying to crack down on the trade.

Do you have a review?

Indeed. This is what RadioTimes critic David Butcher had to say about the rather distressing series:

If you’re lucky, you won’t have heard of tiger bone wine, which in China is thought to have medicinal value. At one stage in this investigation, presenter Aldo Kane visits a tiger zoo in China and, hidden from view, finds dozens of cases of the wine. Round the back of another facility in Laos he finds a chest freezer with, inside, three complete frozen tiger cubs. In Vietnam, a colleague purchases a block of tiger bone “glue” (used as an aphrodisiac) for $7,000 a kilo.

And at every stage of his journey there are grim shots of captive tigers, kept in cages and enclosures, bred to feed the horrible trade in tiger parts, which, a conservationist says, “is completely out of control”. It’s a powerful, revealing film but you may want to skip the butchering scene at the end.

Who is Aldo Kane?

Aldo Kane is a former Royal Marine Commando and sniper now turned adventurer. Kane has worked providing safety for film and television productions in extreme environments, including Steve Backshall's Extreme Mountain Challenge.

Where is Tigers: Hunting the Traffickers filmed?

The documentary is filmed across China, Malaysia and South East Asia.