Nine jailed for killing wild panda in southwest China

A local court in southwest China's Yunnan Province said Friday that nine people had received prison terms ranging from one to 13 years for killing a wild panda and trading in its parts.

Wang Wenlin from Zhaotong City was sentenced to 13 years Thursday for killing the giant panda in late 2014 with an illegal gun, according to a statement released by Shuifu County Court in Zhaotong.

His brother, Wang Wencai, will serve an 11-year term for selling panda parts, said the statement.

The men were both fined 10,000 yuan (1,550 U.S. dollars).

Another convict, Li Kequan, was sentenced to four years for trading in panda parts. He was fined 6,000 yuan.

The Wang brothers said they had been tracking a predator that had attacked their sheep in December 2014. The brothers alleged that it was only after they shot at what they described as a "big animal" did they realize it was a panda, the court heard.

Pandas have not been seen in this part of northeast Yunnan for centuries, but after the incident, an investigation by the provincial forestry administration concluded that there may be more than one panda in the area.

Source: XINHUA