Chinese police have seized more than 100 furs from rare wild animals, including 27 snow leopard pelts, in northwest China's Gansu Province, a spokesman with the local police said on Monday.

File photo: a snow leopard

Forestry police in Xining, capital of northwest China's Qinghai Province, received word that the illegal trade of snow leopards furs was being carried out in central Gansu during a related investigation on the illegal transportation of snow leopard samples, the spokesman said.

The police followed the new tip and found that a resident surnamed Ma in Linxia had purchased furs of protected animals in a very large quantity.

On July 28, police raided Ma's home and his rented apartment, and seized 104 furs of rare wild animals, including bears, snow leopards, clouded leopards, and lynxes. They also found skeletons of these endangered animals.

Ma confessed that he had been buying the furs and bones from Qinghai and Tibet since last November and made a profit of 4,000 yuan (US$520) by selling two snow leopards furs.

The spokesman said this has been the largest number of snow leopard furs that have been seized in China since 1949, and Ma is under further investigation.

(Xinhua News Agency August 6, 2007)