China mulls removing certain captive-bred animal populations from state protection list

A worker feeds forage to Zika deer at a farm in Yanbian, Northeast China's Jilin province, on February 6, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua]

BEIJING - Some animal populations, bred under controlled conditions through mature techniques, could be removed from China's special state protection list and regulated differently from wild populations, according to newest revisions to the country's wild animal protection law.

Sika deer bred in controlled environments, for instance, could be removed from the list, as the captive breeding of sika deer started centuries ago, with millions bred this way, the Law Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC) said in a report on the revisions, citing suggestions solicited on the first version of the revised draft of the law, which was tabled for first reading last December.

Sika deer bred in captivity should be regulated differently than those in the wild, according to the suggestions.

The newest revised draft, which was tabled to the Standing Committee of the NPC for second reading on Monday, said carrying out captive breeding programs of those removed from the state protection list requires obtaining permits from the authorities, and the sale and utilization of such animals requires special tags issued from the authorities to ensure traceability.

Regulating animal populations bred in captivity and those in the wild in different manners is consistent with internationally-accepted practices, the NPC Law Committee said in the report, citing the suggestions.