(Cao Qingyao, spokesman for the State Forestry Administration speaks during the press conference on August 11, 2006. Photo: chinanews)

Related: Hunting License Auction Stirs Controversies

China's State Forestry Administration (SFA) announced on Friday that the country's first-ever auction of licenses for hunting wild animals would be postponed, after it has triggered strong criticism.

SFA spokesperson Cao Qingyao told a press conference in Beijing that the SFA decided to delay the auction, which was scheduled for Sunday, following “wider-than-expected attention” on the event from the public and the news media. He said forestry officials need more time to consider opinions on the issue.

When asked when the auction would eventually be held, Cao said it would be when the “time is ripe,” and in an “appropriate manner” based on opinions from various circles.

The planned auction, first reported on Wednesday, was criticized by some angry Chinese netizens as being a profit-driven move that would have a fatal impact on wildlife conservation in China, the situation of which is already not encouraging, according to the Xinhua News Agency.

It has also aroused strong objection from animal lovers and wildlife protection organizations as some animals under national protection were also on the target list.
  
"We are against Sunday's hunting auction. The point is that well-meaning policies do not always have ideal results. Some people may get the wrong idea – that the government is loosening protection of wild animals, and those who have money can do what they want," Yang Xin, head of Green River, a Chengdu-based non-governmental organization for environmental protection, told Xinhua.

At Friday’s press conference, spokesperson Cao Qingyao welcomed the public outcry over the issue as a sign of progress, saying this demonstrates stronger public awareness of wildlife protection. He said it is also proof that the government is becoming more open and transparent, because in the past, hunting licenses were issued without the public even knowing about them.

But Cao and another SFA official, Wang Wei, defended the issuing of hunting licenses, saying some wild animals such as wolves, red deer and yak are not endangered species, and appropriately-managed hunting is helpful for their protection.

Wang Wei disclosed that hunting licenses have been issued to 1,101 foreigners since 1985 and they have hunted 1,347 wild animals in total. China earned 36.39 million US dollars from the hunting and most of the money has been used in wildlife protection projects as well as compensation for farmers who have suffered economic losses from wild animals damaging their crops.

He said auction of hunting quotas would most likely result in higher prices and bring in more money for protection efforts.

Once a foreigner wins an auctioned hunting license, the hunter must pay 200 U.S. dollars to hunt a wolf, 6,000 dollars for a red deer, and 10,000 dollars for an argali, which is a wild, big-horned Asiatic sheep. Licensed hunters are allowed to hunt in eight areas in the west of the country, including Sichuan, Ningxia, Qinghai, Shaanxi, Gansu and Xinjiang.

Wang Wei said the State Forestry Administration has approved a hunting quota of 289 wild animals this year, including some rare species such as the Takin, the white-lipped deer and the Tibetan antelope. He stressed that the quota is too small to endanger these rare species.

Wang Wei told reporters that the population of some endangered species like the Takin has grown considerably since they were put under national protection in 1988, and they’re now threatening other endangered species and sometimes even adversely affecting human beings. He says limited hunting thus helps protection efforts.

Officials also said the local forestry authorities have been required to assign special workers to accompany foreign hunters during the whole process, to make sure the hunting is conducted properly.

As for the sensitive issue of why only foreigners are allowed to hunt, Wang Wei said there is no policy barring Chinese citizens from participating in hunting. But he said two factors might have prevented them from taking part: One, it costs thousands of dollars to hunt a wild animal, and thus few Chinese have applied to hunt; and two, very few Chinese people have legal access to guns.