BBC NEWS
Snow leopard furs seized in China
Police in north-west China have seized more than 100 furs taken from rare wild animals, including 27 pelts from the highly-endangered snow leopard.
Officers found the furs in a raid on a flat in Linxia, Gansu province, after a tip-off, state media said.
A total of 104 furs, including bear, clouded leopard and lynx, were found, and bones of endangered animals.
The flat owner said he had been buying the furs from Qinghai and Tibet to sell on, Xinhua news agency said.
He "made a profit of 4,000 yuan ($520, £260) by selling two snow leopard furs", the agency said.
The flat owner, named only as Ma, was arrested and would face further investigation, Xinhua said.
A police spokesman said that it was China's largest seizure of snow leopard furs since the Communists took power in 1949.
The furs can be made into expensive coats and other garments, while the bones of rare animals are often used in traditional Chinese medicine.
Snow leopards are a highly endangered species of big cat.
They are solitary creatures that live in mountainous areas of Central Asia.
Between 3,500 and 7,000 are thought to remain in the wild, the majority in China, according to the Snow Leopard Trust.
Story from BBC NEWS:
