Whistle-blower published pictures of dead animals allegedly stored at a police station compound in Qinghai province
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| Images of some of the dead animals posted on the internet. The police chief, who was not named, is accused of hunting Mongolian gazelle, wild horses and hawks. Photo: SCMP Pictures |
Laura Zhou
laura.zhou@scmp.com
The head of a police station in northern China has been arrested and accused of hunting and killing endangered wild animals, according to a media report.
The officer, whose full name was not given, was based in Tianjun county in Qinghai province and is alleged to have killed protected wildlife including Mongolian gazelle, wild horses and hawks, the news website Chinanews.com reported.
He was arrested after messages were circulated on the internet alleging that police officers in the area were hunting endangered animals.
Photographs posted with the reports showed animal bodies allegedly stored in the police station compound or kept in freezers.
Police said they had suspended the officer on Saturday. He was arrested on Sunday.
Forestry police are investigating the case, the report said.
People convicted of killing endangered species of animals in China can face jail terms of over 10 years.
Photographs were published in the media in China earlier this month of a rare sighting in the wild of Mongolia gazelles.
The animals are protected by law, but numbers have dwindled in the Inner Mongolia region of China because of hunting and their loss of habitat.
Source: scmp.com
