Thieves blasted for trying to steal valuable trees from Chinese botanical garden

Staff at a botanical garden in southwestern China are furious after thieves tried to steal two valuable trees for their timber.

The Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanic Garden, owned by the Chinese Academy of Sciences, posted a statement on its social media account saying “these people’s brains must be filled with human waste”. 

A 51-year-old fragrant rosewood tree was chopped down and smuggled out by boat while another larger tree at the site was seriously damaged with a chainsaw. 

The trees are sought after to produce high-quality furniture. 

The trees are worth millions of yuan each, according to media reports.