TNAG-0470-FCO40-535-Legislation-for-protection-of-wild-life-in-Hong-Kong-1974 — Page 78

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By No.52 20 AUG1974

NICK 7/1

CR 19/3231/73 II

R C FURSLAND ESQ PEKING

".

15 August 1974

R&R

Diswilds

did we get any reply

my

letter to the Dis of.

REF.

IMPORTATION OF CHINESE WILDLIFE INTO HONG KONG

19/8

I am most grateful for the information provided in your letter (reference 7/3) of 17 July. You will see from the attached correspondence that we are under pressure from a group of local importers to remove the restriction we have placed on the importation of Giant Salamanders. Because of your indication that the Giant Salamanders are not seriously threatened, and a claim by the Hong Kong and Kowloon Marine Products Merchants Association that the species is 'artifically bred and raised (which appears to be confirmed in paragraph 8 of your letter), it is our intention to approve the import of that species up to the amount of two metric tons as contracted in this particular

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case.

2.

But, in effect, we only have the word of the importer that his animals are 'artifically' bred, and twenty tons a year seems an awful lot! We are therefore naturally anxious to ascertain whether the information on breeding given to us by the trade with regard to Giant Salamanders is correct, whether as many as twenty metric tons a year can be artificially bred for export and whether the export quota you mentioned in paragraph 8 of your letter is sufficiently high to accommodate this quantity. Would it be possible for you to try to find out for us?

3.

We have checked the list of endangered species in China, attached to Iain Orr's letter (reference 7/3) of 1 June, and they all appear in the appendices to the International Convention. But without a list of indigenous animals in China, we cannot be sure that the list is complete.

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