CRI听力:Controversy over Jail Term for Bird Hunter

60-year old Actress Liu Xiaoqing Stars in 'Mojin: The Lost Legend'

In an appeal hearing earlier this week, the Intermediate People's Court of Xinxiang City in Henan upheld the original verdict.

The student, surnamed Yan, was sentenced to 10 years and six months in jail for illegally hunting and selling endangered animals, while his friend, surnamed Wang, got 10 years in prison, for poaching.

The two were also fined 10,000 yuan and 5,000 yuan respectively.

The rulings were first given by the court in Huixian County this May, but has triggered debate ever since.

An online poll conducted by Tencent showed close to 90 percent of the over 120-thousand netizens surveyed thought the penalties were too heavy.

Some of those surveyed cited reports that Yan had once claimed that he didn't know that the birds he caught were protected.

But Zhang Peifeng with the intermediate court of Xinxiang said Yan was clear about the bird's value.

"In his testimonies, the defendant confessed to selling the birds via QQ. The messages recovered from his cellphone also showed that he had been aware that these birds are protected when he decided to sell them. The evidence we have is enough to prove he knew his conduct was illegal."

Investigations show Yan and Wang took 12 Eurasian Hobbies from nests in July last year. One of the birds flew away and another died later.

Then the two posted the birds' picture online and sold the remaining 10 for money.

They later caught two more Eurasian Hobbies, and Yan also illegally bought a crested goshawk.

Both crested goshawk and Eurasian Hobby are Class-B protected animals in China, where hunting, killing or selling such animals can carry a maximum sentence of more than 10 years in prison.

But some netizens argued that a more lenient sentence could be imposed as Yan had said he didn't know much about the related laws.

However, Ruan Qilin with China University of Political Science and Law believes that's no excuse.

"Insufficient understanding of law could never be a reason to get an offending person exempt from punishments. It's not acceptable. It will undermine the authority of law." Ruan Qilin also said the final ruling is significant especially for wild animal protection in China.

"Protecting endangered animals is to help protect the biodiversity. The country has made laws aimed at preventing these animals from being hunted and killed. Anyone should be punished if hunting such animals. In many places around the country, wildlife is still neglected. It's why the ruling has made so many people surprised and appeared significant."

In the latest development, Yan's father has hired a lawyer to seek a retrial, and Henan High People's Court will hear the case.

Illegal hunting of wild birds is still rampant in China despite years of crackdown.

The hunted birds are either sold to bird markets or restaurants.

The law professor Ruan Qilin also urged efforts to be made to step up education campaigns in this regard.

During a recent trip to a wildlife sanctuary in Zimbabwe, Chinese President Xi Jinping reiterated the country's commitment to wildlife protection.

For CRI, I'm Liu Yuanhui.