Customs agents in Russia's Far East have confiscated more than six tons of wild animal skins that a businessman was attempting to smuggle into China, a spokesman said on Friday.
The spokesman said a semi-truck crossing the border from Russia into China on Thursday had 6.7 tons of furs hidden inside rolls of paper for recycling. He said that among the furs was more than 4 tons of muskrat, as well as mink, sable, and Siberian mountain weasel.
"An investigation of the smuggled goods is currently underway to determine the types of wild animals the skins were taken from, as well as their overall number and cost," he said.
The smuggling of animal parts, especially bear paws, from Russia into China has become a common business. Bear paws are considered an exotic dish in China and thousands are estimated to be smuggled into the country from Siberia annually. Frogs, tiger bones, deer musk and genitals from the spotted deer are also smuggled across the border mostly for Chinese medicinal purposes.
VLADIVOSTOK, July 16 (RIA Novosti)
