Exotic animal fur smugglers busted in Tibet

BEIJING (AFP) Oct 11, 2003
Chinese customs officials and police have cracked the biggest case of animal fur smuggling in the mountainous Himalayan region of Tibet, recovering the furs of several endangered species, including tigers and leopards, state press said Saturday.

Police seized a total of 1,276 furs in Tibet's Ngamring county, among which were 32 tiger pelts, 579 leopard skins and 665 otter pelts, Xinhua news agency reported.

Officials valued the haul at 6.52 million yuan (795,000 dollars), saying it was the largest single seizure of endangered animal products in the region since 1951, the report said.

The goods were being transported by truck from neighboring Nepal into China by two Nepalese, while three Tibetans from Markan and Gonjo counties were also apprehended during the bust, it said.

Most of the animals had been shot, it added.

TERRA.WIRE