In June 2007, a person named Li Qijun carried a gun and approached the bamboo woods at Baoxing Giant Panda Protection Zone in Southwest China’s Sichuan Province. He aimed at a giant panda and with two shots, the cute animal dropped dead on the ground.

However, this was only part of the tragic story. After the giant panda was killed, Li stripped off its skin and abandoned the dead body on the spot. He soon threw the bloodstained skin into his plastic bag.

This was not the only incident happening to China’s national-treasure animal. Over the past two decades, about 19 giant pandas were killed in Baoxing County, according to Cui Xuezhen, an expert on giant panda conservation.

Baoxing is a place where the world’s first giant panda was ever discovered. Hence it is also called the hometown for giant pandas. Of all the giant pandas that China delivered to other countries as presents, half came from Baoxing. According to the latest information, there are now 143 giant pandas in Baoxing, which accounts for one-tenth of the total number of giant pandas in China, the Nanfang Evening News reported.

In late June this year, an inspection team with 180 members went to the various giant panda habitats in Baoxing County. The inspection team confiscated some hunting rifles and they carefully searched out and removed all the hunting traps that had been placed there.

(Chinanews.cn December 17, 2007)