Joint operation ensnares poachers

Rhino horns confiscated by Thai customs authorities are shown during a news conference at Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok in January. Apichart Weerawong / for China Daily

Zero tolerance toward traffickers leads to more than 400 arrests

A multinational operation - in which China played a leading role - resulted in the arrests of hundreds of wildlife poachers and was of global significance for the intelligence it gathered, experts said.

The operation, Cobra II, involved 28 countries from Asia, Africa and North America and sent a powerful message to poachers and smugglers, a US official said.

More than 400 suspects were arrested and tons of products were seized in the month-long operation that sent poachers a clear signal of China's zero-tolerance policy toward traffickers, said Wan Ziming, director of the Law Enforcement Department of the China Endangered Species Import and Export Management Office.