Police find 100 baby seals hidden in remote Chinese farm - 38 have died
- Death toll for 100 spotted seal pups found at poultry farm rises to 38
- Females and babies are a new target, thanks to demand from China’s aquariums
More than one-third of 100 baby seals taken by poachers and discovered at a poultry farm in northeastern China 10 days ago have died.
The spotted seal pups were so young they had not been weaned and 29 were already dead when police found them during a raid on the farm, in a remote mountain area of Changxing island off Dalian in Liaoning province, according to TheBeijing News.
The surviving pups were transported for care to three marine wildlife facilities in the area but a further nine died, bringing the total to 38.
Five out of 35 of the seal pups sent to Sun Asia Ocean World died, as well as four out of the 34 sent to Dalian Laohutan Ocean Park. The remaining two pups are understood to be in a stable condition at the Liaoning Ocean and Fisheries Science Research Institute.
It is unclear how many suspected poachers are in police custody.
Endangered species found in China supermarket’s seafood section
The seal pups are believed to have been poached from the wild population of about 2,000 spotted seals which inhabit Liaodong Bay near Dalian, in the Bohai Sea.