China probes reports of panda hunting

From correspondents in Beijing | December 17, 2007

CHINA is investigating reports of illegal wildlife trading in the country's southwest where locals were offered huge sums of cash for giant panda pelts.

Local police have found cases of panda bear hunting in Baoxing county in Sichuan province, the China Daily newspaper quoted the State Forestry Administration as saying.

"We have sent a working group to supervise the investigations and we will prosecute anyone involved," said Cao Qingyao, spokesman for the forestry administration.

The giant panda bear is on China's list of most endangered species and hunting of it is strictly forbidden.

The case came to light after an investigative report published last week in the respected Southern Weekend said hunters were killing pandas after unidentified buyers had offered huge sums for their fur.

The weekly newspaper said the black and white pelts could fetch up to $US68,000 ($79,000), tempting residents of Baoxing, where average annual incomes are less than 3000 yuan ($470) a year.

It was believed 19 pandas had been killed for their skins over the last 20 years in Baoxing, the Southern Weekend said.

Baoxing, dubbed by Chinese media as home of the pandas, counts 143 living panda bears.

Scientists estimate 1590 pandas live in the wild in China, while 239 live in captivity

That's interesting and as long as someone is offering that kind of money to very poor people then they will have problems. This would never fly I'm sure but what if they sold a handful of permits a year at 100k to help finance conservation and research? I don't know anyone who wants to hunt pandas but I'm sure someone would and the revenues would pay for a lot of panda conservation. Can you imagine the firestorm from the media?

As usual the use of the word 'hunting' to describe what is indisputably poaching.

I find it kind of ironic that the government of China is so concerned about the welfare of the panda when it is common knowledge that the folk medicine markets within that country are responsible for the near destruction of many species including the tiger, the Asiatic Black Bear, the Rhino, the Saiga Antelope, the Tibetian Antelope etc...

If they want to save the panda and other wildlife, they need to clean house in their own country. After all, where is the major market for wildlife? China!

And if they get their way with Africa like they are trying, you can kiss the elephant, lion, rhino and who knows what else goodbye as well.

Hypocritical Bastards!!!!!!!!!

Mac

quote:

Originally posted by MAC:
I find it kind of ironic that the government of China is so concerned about the welfare of the panda...
Mac

It's obviously more important than human rights over there.

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