China launches drive against online animal trade

BEIJING: China has joined hands with international organisations to curb online trade of wild animals that included a range of items like wild tiger bone, tiger whiskers and rhino horns.

The Endangered Species Import and Export Management Office associated with the State Forestry Administration said it has acted on the basis of reports from international organs and launched a campaign against illegal wild animal trade via the Internet.

The International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) discovered 1,973 incidents of wild animal and product trade online from February to December last year, including 30 types of endangered animals.

Following up these reports, the Office launched joint efforts with the Public Security and Forestry departments in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangdong, where much of the trade information was unearthed.

More than 80 per cent of the information was deleted and several websites were closed, official Xinhua news agency said, quoting an IFAW statement.

The Office Deputy Director Meng Xialin said details of the campaign have been sent to the CITES secretariat, along with suggestions to mobilise all countries in cracking down on the online trade.

"The Chinese government will continue to work with international organs and share their experience in animal protection," he said.