SIBERIA: A total of 18 brown bear paws were seized by customs in the latest attempt to smuggle such goods to China. The paws have big value on the black market and are coveted for traditional medicine a cure-all for a variety of ailments from sexual impotency to treating fevers.
Chinese citizens face jail for smuggling yet the threat seemingly does not reduce the demand or frighten the criminals. Vyacheslav Tsyrempilov, deputy head of the customs post ZHDPP Zabaikalsk, said: ‘This is not the first case of attempt to smuggle the paws of a bear.
‘In the last three months on our customs post revealed three such attempts. A total of 31 bear paws have been detained, with a total weight of 40 kilograms.’
A total of 18 brown bear paws were seized by customs in the latest attempt to smuggle such goods to China. Pictures: GTRK Chita, Federal Customs Service
For the latest batch, five bears must have been illegally killed.
