Focus on Arts and Ecology

 The big environmental stories in the Chinese media (7-13 May)

The entire city of Hangzhou, a metropolis near Shanghai, was rattled this week by the news that three leopards had been at large for more than three weeks after escaping a local zoo.
 
Sitings of the big cats near the Hangzhou Safari Park began to emerge early in the month, but park administrators denied any suggestions that leopards might have escaped their custody. The park remained open until 7 May, when scared residents of one neighbourhood called the police after seeing a leopard roaming around. The park issued a formal statement and apology the next day, acknowledging that three juveniles had escaped on 19 April, with two still at large. The park would be closed until further notice.
 
The announcement kicked off a frantic week of search efforts that garnered national attention. In the process, questioning of the search team’s professionalism dominated media headlines as disturbing video footage of search dogs ferociously attacking a leopard circulated on the internet. There were rumours one leopard had been killed. Authorities later announced that the big cat was successfully retrieved after being sedated, and injured in the process.
 
Leopards are top-level protected animals under China’s wildlife protection regulations, although commercial trade in leopard bone for use in traditional medicine remains legal. 
 
The incident once again highlights management loopholes in China’s commercial zoos (or “wildlife parks” as many prefer) as custodians of some of the world’s most endangered animals.

On Tuesday, Hangzhou’s police department revealed details of the cover-up orchestrated by the park’s management. The management decided to stay quiet and hunt for the big cats on their own while keeping the zoo open, “putting the public’s safety and social order in jeopardy”, according to the police. Five members of the park’s management were arrested and will be criminally prosecuted. 
 
As of Thursday, the whereabouts of the third leopard remains unknown. 

(Sources: China Dialogue)