Controversial auction of hunting quotas postponed (Xinhua) Updated: 2006-08-11 11:39
China's State Forestry Administration (SFA) said Friday the country's
first-ever auction of hunting quotas scheduled for Sunday was postponed.
SFA spokesman Cao Qingyao said, "The auction will be held in a proper
way after soliciting suggestions from the public." However, he would not give a
date.
Angry Chinese Internet users attacked the auction of quotas for
289 animals of 14 species as purely profit-driven. However, the SFA, also
China's wildlife protection agency, said the animals proposed for hunting were
not endangered species and restricted hunting would help their protection.
Wang Wei, deputy director of wildlife protection at the SFA, said the
planned auction would increase transparency and efficiency in the hunting
industry.
"The response from the public is beyond our expectation," said
Wang.
Foreigners would have been allowed to hunt animals like yak if
they successfully bid at the auction planned in Chengdu, capital of southwestern
Sichuan Province.
Foreigners were previously allowed to hunt in China
only after going through complicated application procedures. By the end of last
year, China had garnered 36.39 million U.S. dollars by allowing 1,101 foreigners
to hunt 1,347 animals since 1985.
The government has been strengthening
wildlife conservation and the booming population of some animals has become a
burden on local ecological system, according to Wang.
Yang Xin, head of
Green River, a Chengdu-based non-governmental organization on environment
protection, welcomed the postponement.
"The authorities could not be
more cautious as it is the first such auction in China. The public opinion
should be fully taken into consideration," Yang said.
He said Green
River opposed the auction of hunting quotas as it could lead to a
misunderstanding that the government is loosening protection of wild animals and
the rich could hunt without restriction.
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