China Environmental Law

No word yet from the Forestry Public Security Bureau on the results of their widely-publicized Thursday inspection of the wildlife parks accused of selling illegal tiger bone wine by the UK-based Environmental Investigation Agency (see Tiger Wine).

A couple of intrepid reporters from China Youth Daily (CYD), however, disguised themselves as “tourists” and visited the parks “a few days ago.” According to their report (only in Chinese) they asked everyone working at the souvenir shop, the wine steward at the restaurant, and all the cold drink vendors, where they could find some of that tiger wine they had been hearing so much about. Without exception, it appears that their enquiries were met with hurt feelings that anyone could even suggest that the park would be engaging in such patently illegal behavior (OK, I’m embellishing a little here), and, furthermore they caught no sight of the rumored “luxurious gift boxes of tiger wine.”

The CYD report contrasted its findings with those of “an English media report” which accused the wildlife parks of brazenly peddling tiger wine to park visitors. Looks like the English were mistaken, or could they have had some other motives? I leave this question for you to ponder discerning readers. If you ask me, however, the CYD article presages the findings of the Forestry Public Security Bureau. Mark this “case closed!”