Fw: primfocus: China Sentences Farmers for Poaching Snub-Nosed Monkeys

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" Linda J. Howard " <lindajhoward

" Primfocus " <primfocus

Tuesday, 02 January, 2001 08:40

primfocus: China Sentences Farmers for Poaching Snub-Nosed Monkeys

 

 

China Sentences Farmers for Poaching Snub-Nosed Monkeys

 

BEIJING, Dec 27, 2000 -- (Agence France Presse) A court in China's

central Hubei province has upheld a lower court ruling sentencing seven

farmers to between four and 11 years in prison for poaching and trading

in snub-nosed monkeys, state media reported Wednesday.

 

The Intermediate People's Court of Shiyan city found the seven farmers

guilty of harming the endangered animals in two separate cases, Xinhua

news agency said.

 

In 1997, three of the farmers living in the Honghua town of the Shennongjia

Nature Reserve in northwestern Hubei shot two snub-nosed monkeys inside

the reserve.

 

The farmers then captured another snub-nosed monkey which died later.

 

The farmers skinned the three monkeys and sold the skins to another farmer

from Shiyan city for 700 yuan (84.30 dollars).

 

The farmer who bought the skins was caught by local police when he

attempted to resell them.

 

In a separate case, a farmer from Honghua town collaborated with another

farmer from the town to sneak into the nature reserve in April this year and

steal a snub-nosed monkey.

 

The two sold the small snub-nosed monkey to another farmer from the same

town. The three were reported to the police and later detained. The snub-nosed

monkey was set free.

 

The seven farmers were sentenced to various terms of imprisonment and

fined a total of 20,000 yuan by the People's Court of Shennongjia Nature

Reserve in their first trial.

 

The farmers then appealed to a higher people's court in Shiyan City.

 

The Intermediate People's Court of Shiyan City rejected the appeals and

upheld the lower court ruling.

 

Snub-nosed monkeys are an endangered species under top state protection

in China.

 

Farmers living in areas of endangered species, including pandas, often lack

awareness about the importance of protecting the animals or are often

tempted by the prospects of making money through the animals to alleviate

their poverty. (© 2000 Agence France Presse)

 

http://www.insidechina.com/news.php3?id=237673