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At first the police in the southeastern city of Wenzhou suspected the two men were loading a human corpse into their S.U.V. The person-shaped object they were carrying was wrapped in a striped tarpaulin, of the kind commonly seen on construction sites across China, and bound in rope. But when they unwrapped the tarpaulin, the two officers were stunned to find a dead tiger. The police apprehended the man who had remained by the S.U.V. and impounded the tiger and the vehicle, according to a notice posted on an official Sina Weibo account. The police identified the man in custody as the owner of the S.U.V., a 31-year-old surnamed Wang from Fuzhou, in Jiangxi Province, and said they had detained him on suspicion of illegal trade in an endangered species. The police report said the authorities suspected the carcass to be of a Siberian, or Amur, tiger, one of the world’s most endangered animals, and had sent samples to be tested. As of Thursday, the police said the investigation was continuing. No information was released on the suspect who ran away. Under Chinese criminal law, anyone convicted of illegally capturing, killing or trading in endangered species can face fines and 10 years in prison. (Photo by Reuters/China Daily)
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