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PENN
PENN
PENN
But it's not so simple as that because Appendix II of the
-
Convention lists species that are potentially endangered, and not immediate- ly so, and the decision to trade in these or their products rests entirely with the exporting country. So that Britain and Hong Kong would have to defer to Chinese assessments of Appendix II items which now include pangolins, leopard cats, some birds of pray and Bewick swans.
Dr. Kenneth Scarle is Honorary Curator of Birds at the Hong Kong Botanic Gardens and has close contact with overseas collectors as well as with Hong Kong dealers in species which are not usually eaten, even by the Chinesa.
Searle
Well, it shook mo. This is the Eastern race of the Bewick Swan
known as Jankowski's Swan. One of the local dealers here had
orders for this particular species from Germany and elsewhere, so he placed an order with the export people in Canton. And he received something like 300 swans half of which were maimed, obviously been shot or badly trapped. And he had to take them
badly all, maimed and unmaimed.
G
Dr. Searle recently visited the Peking Zon and the Chinese asked for an exchange of birds with the British Pheasant Trust, of which he
is a Council Member.
Political pandas excepted, China's own protected list is just not known to the outside world. Propagandia emphasises the economic value
of parts of even the rarest species - even the bones of the Tiger. The Bewick Swan incident and puzzling requests directed overseas suggests a total unawareness of conservation worldwide.
Searls
I have seen a letter of authorisation from the Canton Zoo, given to a local animal dealer. The letter said that So-and-So
is authorised by and on behalf of the Canton Zoo and then gave a very large list of species of birds and mammals and reptiles which I couldn't believe when I read it, because so many of
them were.... (laughs) - so rare that the possibility of ever obtaining them under any circumstances is nil. For example, they had the American Whooping Crane on this list, and there were other things, like many other threatened species: orangutang,
Komodo Dragon.....
w
All these items are listed in Appendix I of the new Convention - that is to say they are considered threatened with extinction. Appendix I items require the agreement of both exporting and importing country that trade will not threaten survival of the species. Items in this category reaching Hong Kong from Ching at the moment are tiger and leopard skins, rare live crancs, and the Giant Chinese