10 people in police custody for hunting Pandas

10  people have been held in China on suspicion of hunting a panda to sell its fur and meat, Chinese local media reports.

According to CCTV, police discovered the panda's skin and 9.75kg of meat in a raid in December, saying  the panda was shot dead by 2 brothers in Zhaotong in the southern Yunnan province.

The China Daily newspaper said parts of the female panda's skull and its gall bladder were also found.

The 2 hunters and 1 person who allegedly bought the panda meat were among those arrested, but the identity of the other 7 people was not disclosed.

Hunting pandas, which according to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature is an endangered specie, is a very serious offence in China which can lead to a 10-year sentence, life imprisonment or even a death sentence can be applied.