Chinese zookeeper jailed for killing rare animals
Date: 08-Apr-02
Country: CHINA
A court in the coastal city of Qingdao found Wang Deyi, 44, guilty of using rat poison to kill five deer and two Malay bears - all rare or endangered species - at the zoo where he worked, the official Xinhua news agency said.
Wang, acting in revenge against a superior, also poisoned a rare leopard which survived, it said but gave no further details.
According to Chinese law, rare and endangered animals are protected by the state, whether they live in the wild or in captivity, Xinhua said.