Shocked customs officials find five bear paws hidden in the luggage of a man flying into the country.
The smuggler was stopped by Qingdao Jiaodong Airport Customs staff who found the five bear paws in the man’s luggage.
They said in a 3rd June statement that four of the paws had “intact black fur on the surface, with bone joints, muscles and fat exposed at the cross-section, and one was a fresh bear paw that had been skinned”.
All of the paws were believed to be from the Asian Black Bear (Ursus thibetanus), also known as the moon bear, that is found in the forests and mountainous regions of Asia, including the Himalayas, Korea, and Japan.
They said that the reason paws were smuggled were many but mainly it was for use in Chinese medicine, although also occasionally as a gourmet treat.
They said that there were: “Three front paws and two rear paws, with a total weight of 3.05 kilogrammes [6.7 lbs].
“Black bears are listed in Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and the National List of Key Protected Animals.”
They are also currently classified as ‘Vulnerable’ on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species.
Qingdao is a city in the eastern Shandong Province of China and is an important hub of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) that connects Continental and East Asia with Europe. It has the highest GDP of any city in the province.
Online commentators like ‘The Road’ said: “Cruel humans.”
And user ‘Tiger’ said: “Wouldn’t this stink?”
While the user ‘Plum Heart’ said: “No matter how much punishment is imposed, it can’t save the bear’s life.”
To find out more about the author, editor or agency that supplied this story – please click below. Story By: Aloysius Fernandes, Sub-Editor: Simona Kitanovska, Agency: AsiaWire Report
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