China to protect rare animals by killing them
How do you say “cognitive dissonance” in Chinese? This Sunday, Chinese officials will be auctioning off licenses to kill rare wildlife — including some endangered species — to raise funds for … wildlife conservation. Due to the country’s gun laws, only foreigners can bid for permits at the auction, which will be supervised by the State Forestry Administration. Starting bids to kill a wolf (the only predator on the list) are $200; red deer start at $6,000, and the right to kill a wild yak starts at $40,000. Only about 15,000 of the yaks remain in the world — but you could make it 14,999! Some rules do apply: The winning hunters will stalk their prey in five western provinces, and must be accompanied by a guide to make sure they kill only male animals. While paying to hunt rare animals isn’t a new trend in China, international groups have previously had to petition for the pleasure on a case-by-case basis. Glad to see that inefficiency smoothed out.
