Charity documented how animal parts are fed into the traditional medicine trade

Found thousands of tigers being kept in Chinese breeding facilities which they believe are slaughtered to make wines, gels and balms containing tiger bone

In South Africa, lions are bred to be killed in 'canned hunting' trips by tourists

The tourists keep the heads, while the bones are shipped to Asia to fuel the trade

Big cats are being farmed on an industrial scale and killed by the thousand every year to fuel the desire for traditional medicines in Asia, a charity report claims.

In China, researchers from World Animal Protection documented how tigers were being kept in battery hen-style cages at breeding farms which they believe are then slaughtered to feed the illegal trade in tiger bone products.

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In South Africa, 'canned hunting' trips - where lions are hunted on farms instead of of in the wild - are being used as a front to slaughter lions bred in captivity so their bones can be exported to Asia for use in traditional medicine, the report says.

Up to 5,000 tigers are being kept at breeding facilities around China, often in inhumane conditions that see them confined to cramped, muddy cages

Around 10 per cent of the tigers at such facilities are kept in open enclosures which tourists can visit, unaware of the misery being inflicted on other animals nearby

Campaigners believe breeding facilities like this one are used to provide bone for the traditional medicine trade, where it is put into products including wines, gels and balms

Researchers from campaign group Blood Lions say such big cats are exploited at every stage of life, usually for the amusement of tourists.

The animals are sent to petting zoos as cubs, forced to hike alongside tourists as juveniles for 'walking with lions' tours, and then released on to game farms to be shot by hunters, the group says.

Their heads are then taken as trophies, while their bones exported. The South African government's quota of lion carcasses to be exported last year was 1,500.

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Tourists also play an important role at China's breeding facilities, which they are allowed to visit, according to World Animal Protection.

However, only 10 per cent of the estimated 5,000 tigers kept in such facilities are displayed to the public - usually roaming around in large, spacious enclosures.

The other 90 per cent are kept in small wire cages measuring just 13ft by 23ft, often with just the bare necessities they need to survive, World Animal Protection said.

In South Africa, up to 8,000 lions are housed across 200 facilities where campaigner say they are exploited from birth - first in petting zoos and then on 'walking with lion' hikes

When the lions reach adulthood many are sent to game farms where they are slaughtered in 'canned hunting' trips before their bones are exported to Asia

Activists say such lions are often kept in cramped conditions and display erratic behaviours such as pacing up and down and biting themselves

Officially, trading tiger bone is illegal in China, and the commercial purpose of such facilities has never been made clear.

However, many campaigners believe the animals are bred to feed the trade in traditional products such as wines, capsules, gels and balms containing bone which merchants claim can cure everything from arthritis to meningitis.

The animals photographed by the charity were often badly overweight, and exhibited abnormal behaviour such as pacing up and down or biting themselves because of the conditions they are subjected to.

In South Africa, many of the lions suffered genetic defects such as deformed paws or missing limbs as a result of intensive inbreeding.

Dr Jan Schmidt-Burbach, Global Wildlife Advisor at World Animal Protection, said: 'Does the life of an animal mean nothing at all? These big cats are exploited for greed and money - and for what?

Many of the lions and tigers at such facilities are overweight as a result of their cramped surrounding and suffer from health problems

Intensive inbreeding among South African captive lions often produces young with birth defects, such as disfigured paws

Charity workers are calling on governments to do more to close loopholes that allow such places to operate, and educate people on non-animal alternatives to bone products

'For medicine that’s never been proven to have any curative properties whatsoever. For that reason alone, it’s an unacceptable.

'But given that at each stage of their lives they suffer immensely – this makes it an absolute outrage.

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'Many of these animals will only ever see the world through metal bars, they will only ever feel hard concrete beneath their paws, and they will never get to experience their most basic predatory instinct – a hunt.

'Instead, they are taken away from their mothers as tiny cubs, forced to interact with people or perform tricks, to be then shot or slaughtered so that their bodies can be harvested for products.

'This should not be the life for these incredible animals – either in farms or entertainment venues.

'These animals are majestic apex predators – they are not playthings – nor are they medicine. Big cats are wild animals and they deserve a life worth living.'

Campaigners are calling on the governments of China, South Africa, Thailand, Lao and Vietnam to do more to tackle the big cat trade.