Environmental group leaps to Jack Ma' defense

Environmental group The Nature Conservancy (TNC) has defended Chinese Internet tycoon Jack Ma's role in a controversial hunting trip in 2012, explaining the event was designed for animal population control, not pleasure.

The statement on Monday came the day after The Sunday Times reported that some rich Chinese tourists spend up to

$167,700 a week in the UK to rent rustic castles, play aristocrat, and hunt deer.

The report, coupled with pictures of wealthy Chinese men showing off their hunting trophies, drew scorn from Internet users who immediately linked the trend to Ma's earlier hunting trip. In this case, netizens were quick to point out that Ma became TNC's new chairman of the board in May 2013.

The environmental group was quick to defend Ma, saying "The event two years ago was intended to protect conservancy areas and to control wildlife population in Europe. It was absolutely not a hunting trip for fun suggested by some media."

"In some places, the number of hoofed animals has exceeded the environmental capacity and threatens to break down the local eco-system," said the TNC, a leading conservation organization with projects around the globe.

On his social media account Ma also said the hunting was meant to contain the population. He added that killing an animal is nothing pleasurable, according to a chinanews.com report.

Authorized hunting can ease tension between humans and wildlife by reducing excessive amount of some species. The income from approved hunts can be used to fund animal research and help the environment, according to the TNC.