According to WWF, customs and the Frontier Service in the Primorskii province in the Russian Far East have reportedly seized a cache of illegal wildlife products bound for China.
"WWF continues to provide information and technical support to the Custom and Frontier Service to help suppress this illegal and growing trade across the Russian border," said Pavel Fomenko, Amur branch, WWF-Russia.
The latest seizure includes 480 paws from brown and black bear and a Siberian tiger pelt and bones, as well as 20 kilograms of wild ginseng. This is the fourth seizure of Siberian tiger parts and derivates this year.
Fomenko added that WWF specialists often help identify seized wildlife products. Practically all the seized wildlife products except for saiga horns come exclusively from the Russian Far East.
Legal proceedings have been instigated against the Chinese and Russian nationals involved in the latest smuggling case involving the bear paws and ginseng.
