The director and three other officials from Zixi Forestry Administration were sacked immediately after China Central Television (CCTV) reported that illegal hunting and trading of wildlife under State protection had taken place in Zixi county, Jiangxi Province on November 27, according to chinanews.com.
Restaurants that offer dishes claiming to be made with wild animals have been closed and two poachers were caught on the morning of November 28, according to the publicity department of Zixi county.
Fired officials aided poachersFour local officials including Wu Kaifa, director of Zixi county's forestry bureau in Jiangxi Province, and Peng Zhihua, head of the local Gaofu forest farm, were dismissed Wednesday for negligence in a poaching case, a day after CCTV exposed the scandal.
@泉眼冒泡: Illegal hunting is driven by market demand and high profits. Therefore, only punishing poachers is not enough. Laws and regulations should be made and improved to punish those who hunt, trade and consume illegally acquired game. Less demand will lead to less hunting.
@黄西资她爸: The government’s response was quick. That’s good! We ought to punish the diners as well, because when the buying stops, the killing will too.
@一杯茶叶水: The government’s “taking action” after being exposed seems to be a little bit passive. Private wildlife hunting has existed for more than a decade. You can buy traps and shotguns everywhere, and game is sold publicly at food markets. What are the functional departments so busy with, and do officials know anything about the current situation of wildlife hunting?
Law of the People's Republic of China on the Protection of Wildlife was adopted on November 8, 1988 and effective as of March 1, 1989.
Excerpts: PROTECTION OF WILDLIFEArticle 8 The state shall protect wildlife and the environment for its survival, and shall prohibit the illegal hunting, catching or destruction of wildlife by any unit or individual.
ADMINISTRATION OF WILDLIFEArticle 16 The hunting, catching or killing of wildlife under special state protection shall be prohibited.
Article 22 The sale and purchase of wildlife under special state protection or the products thereof shall be prohibited.
LEGAL RESPONSIBILITYArticle 31 Anyone who illegally catches or kills wildlife under special state protection shall be prosecuted for criminal responsibility in accordance with the supplementary provisions on punishing the crimes of catching or killing the species of wildlife under special state protection which are rare or near extinction.
Article 38 Any staff member of a department of wildlife administration who neglects his duty, abuses his power or engages in malpractices for personal gains shall be subject to administrative sanctions by the department to which he belongs or by the competent authority at a higher level; if the circumstances are serious enough to constitute a crime, he shall be prosecuted for criminal responsibility according to law.
Source: china.org.cn
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