3.
2
We
I wonder whether you have had any response to the Ambassador's approach. We need this to determine what our future attitude should be to the import of Salamanders from China, given their protected status under Appendix I of the international Convention. have fortunately not had any further occasion to prosecute a dealer. Whether this means that the importers have held-back for the moment or that their claims for the scale of normal import is grotesquely exaggerated, I cannot say. I suspect both.
4.
An odd sidelight of this episode has been, that in attempting to dispose of the confiscated Salamanders to the Amsterdam or London Zoo, the Agriculture and Fisheries Department have discovered that neither the UK nor the Netherlands are as yet controlling the import of Giant Salamanders. Presumably in the case of the United Kingdom this awaits the ratification of the Convention by HM G. But it does seem a little strange that Hong Kong is under pressure to control a trade when Miss Penn's own country is still allowing it to go on.
5.
On a slightly different tack: can you say what was the provenance of the list which the Ambassador handed to WANG Tung? We did not in general quarrel with it, but it did not seem to be exactly based on previous
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correspondence which we had seen. Incidentally, it ran together two similar but distinct sub-species of Salamanders: Andrias davidianus davidianus and Andrias davidianus japonicus. Only the former is known to have been imported here.
6.
Our latest returns show that, Salamanders apart, only three identifiable species on the protected list were imported into Hong Kong from China in the period January to March 1974. The types and numbers imported were: Chinese Pangolin, (Manis pentadactyla) 968; Jankovski's Swan, (Cygnus bovioki Jankowaki) — 12; Python, (Python molurus bivattatus) – 95. All are Appendix II creatures. 586 Leopard Cat (Felis bengalensis) were also imported. At first sight these appear to be animals protected under Appendix I of the international Convention. But the latest information from our experts suggests that only Felis bengalensis bengalensis is so protected, and that "our" Leopard Cats, which sport only one "bengalensis" are not on the conservation list at all. We are looking into this point.
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R B Crowson Esq
H K & IO Department F CO
(T JB George)
CONFIDENTIA