Apartment in Chinese city used as warehouse to store and butcher endangered wildlife

An apartment in a private residential community in southwest China has been uncovered as a secret warehouse for illegal wildlife trade, after a downstairs neighbour spotted blood dripping from the roof and called police, mainland media reports.

Details of the case, which occurred in Chengdu, Sichuan province in October, 2014, only surfaced after seven culprits were jailed in court on Thursday, and was reported by the West China City Daily on Saturday.

Five rare golden snub-nosed monkeys - two still alive and the other three dead – as well as a huge number of bears’ body parts, including six heads and 76 limbs and paws, were found on the blood-soaked floor and in four large freezers after police broke into the premises, the court heard.

Golden snub-nosed monkeys are listed among the 10 most endangered animals in China while the wild black bear is also protected.

“I was nearly scared to death, I thought someone might have been killed upstairs,” the neighbour Li Lin told the newspaper as he described seeing red liquid dripping from his roof and forming a pool on the floor when he arrived home.