.Chinese police have seized 104 furs of rare animals, including the largest-ever haul of skins from the endangered snow leopard, state media reported on Monday. Police tracked down a fur dealer in the north-western province of Gansu and found 27 snow leopard hides, along with an assortment of furs from bears, clouded leopards and lynx, Xinhua news agency said.
The snow leopard furs marked the largest seizure of skins of the elusive central Asian hunter ever in China, Xinhua said. The dealer, identified only by his surname, Ma, said he had been buying the furs from nearby Qinghai and the Tibet region since last November.
It is illegal to hunt snow leopards or trade their skins in China. Conservationists estimate there are between 3,500 and 7,000 of the cats, prized by poachers for their beautiful coats, in a range centred on the Himalayas and the Tibetan plateau.