62
Oryx
frozen bear's paws can still be obtained at the big Communist department
stores.
There is also a trade in rarer species for re-export. The Chinese authorities. while reputed to have a long list, so far unconfirmed, of protected species. seem to place few restrictions on what may be exported. Early in 1976. black-necked cranes Grus nigricollis, apparently originating in China, reached Europe and the United States, probably via Hong Kong. On the other hand, in 1974 a hooded crane Grus monachus was shipped to Hong Kong from Canton in a consignment of common cranes Grus grus, but even before it arrived the dealer received a cable from Canton asking him to return it. One dealer was asked whether he could supply the scarce Lord Derby's parakee Psittacula derbyana. The answer was yes, provided an order of 5000 could be placed: it would be uneconomic to mount a special expedition to the wilds of Yunnan for any less! In some provinces, annual quotas are set for certain species which may have a value as a natural resource, such as leopards. One province sets the annual limit for Panthera pardus at 3000.
In 1976, so that Britain could ratify the Washington Convention on Inter- national Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, Hong Kong rushed through the Animals and Plants (Protection of Endangered Species) Ordinance, which is full of anomalies. It does not precisely follow the Washington Convention, being in some ways an advance on it and in others a concession to Hong Kong business circles. While hawks and owls are fully protected (in 1975, 7075 hawks and 9486 owls were imported from China as food), the skins of all monitors Varanus are still permitted, because there is already a substantial trade in them. Live specimens and animal parts are listed separately, producing such curious anomalies as a ban on the skins of certain civets Viverrinae but no restriction on the live animals. Since they are normally imported as food, it appears that the offence begins as soon as the beast is killed.
The new legislation came into effect on November 5 1976 after a grace period of three months to enable dealers to get rid of their stocks. Enforce- ment, however, is still in the theoretical future. Virtually all fur dealers have stocks of leopard skins, some have tiger skins as well, and few, if any, have applied for licences under the new law. Strong public pressure on the Director of Agriculture and Fisheries, the enforcement authority, has been met with the anticipated shilly-shallying and buck-passing. However, at least two seizures of protected birds have been made, and there are signs that the Director, now that the bolt-holes have been closed, is preparing to take firmet action against the main Communist importers of wild birds and mammals. In fairness to the Director, it should be emphasised that law enforcement against Communist importers is not easy; for many years they have been treated with kid gloves by the Hong Kong Government, and naturally enough they continue to take advantage of the fact. In many ways the trade conducted by local Communist importers seems to conflict with Peking's official policies.
To the retail customer, little seems to have changed. He can still buy his wife a leopard-skin coat, and in status-conscious Hong Kong runs little risk of seeing it torn off her back. If he wants to drink owl soup, there is no diffi- culty in finding a street hawker who can sell him the owl, and hornbill casques and bird of paradise feathers are still obtainable. Ivory smuggled