Police have arrested 10 individuals in China's southwestern region for killing and selling the body parts of a female wild giant panda, a rare animal, according to Chinese state Media on Wednesday.

Panda poaching is rare in China, but because its body parts are rare, police believe poachers sell them at high prices. Being an endangered species, the giant panda is one of China's most protected rare animals, Fox News reported.

Like Us on Facebook

Based on a China Central Television report cited by Fox, police officers in Yunnan arrested the 10 poachers and vendors and confiscated panda meat, bones, skin and even a gallbladder from them. The arrested individuals could be imprisoned for up to 10 years or could face life or death sentences for hunting rare animals.

One of the suspects, who was identified only by his family name Wang, had set up a trap after wild animals killed his sheep last December, but he later found that the trap had been broken. He and his brother followed footprints in the area and tracked down and killed the panda, state-run media firm Xinhua News agency quotes Chinese authorities.

One of the buyers bought 35 kilograms of panda meat, plus the four paws for CNY4,800 (US$800) from the arrested suspects. Some of the giant panda's body parts were also sold to other buyers, Xinhua added.

Thousands of netizens reacted on this news via the Chinese social media website Weibo. Most of them condemned panda poaching in a country where the rare animals are considered as national treasure, according to CNN.

"To the Chinese, giant panda is more than an animal. It's a spiritual symbol," according to Weibo user Gloomy Thick Eyebrows. "The case needs to be dealt with severely to stop any further incidents like this."

Another netizen with the username Brillian called the poaching suspects "deplorable and heartless."

Still, one user wondered why the killing of a man in China does not get as much media coverage as the killing of a rare animal, the report detailed.

Based on a recent census, the wild giant panda's population rose by 268 to bring the total to 1,864 in China since 2003.

According to the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), poaching is the main threat to China's wild pandas. Although this illegal activity has declined, economic development has now taken its place as one of the major threats.

Activities such as the construction of roads, hydropower plants, and mining projects destroy the giant panda's natural habitat, WWF explained.

Poaching of rare animals and illegal export of their body parts are still one of China's major problems, police say. The Chinese government is currently trying to boost its efforts to curb activities that endanger wild giant pandas and other rare animals.

Tagspoaching, rare animal, Giant Panda, police, panda meat