Tycoon hits back at hunting trip criticism

Chinese business tycoon Jack Ma Yun Monday denied a British report saying he spent vast sums of money on an aristocratic life and hunting in the UK, claiming his trip was conducted two years ago for environmental protection instead of entertainment.

The report, released Sunday by the Sunday Times, focused on Ma along with other business companions, has received criticism from animal protectionists, as Ma was one of the directors of The Nature Conservancy (TNC).

The report said that Ma and his friends rented a castle for ￡100,000 a week ($167,717) in Scotland for a hunting holiday. They rented four helicopters and hunted 17 stags during that time.

It said the group spent a lot of money on hunting to imitate the aristocratic life described in popular TV series Downton Abbey.

Ma said the UK trip was to learn knowledge about environmental protection through hunting and that it was an expensive but scientific way to protect nature by keeping a healthy eco-system.

The TNC, one of the largest environment and wildlife protection organizations based in Virginia, US, also denied the report in a statement on Monday, saying that trip was organized by the TNC and aimed at studying the development of the conservation zones in Europe and the control of wild animal species.

Ma became the chairman of the board of TNC China in May 2013.

The statement also said that the hunting targets old, male wild animals that can't reproduce, which could benefit the healthy development of the animal population.

Prices for hunting trips range from 59,800 yuan ($9,710) to 498,800 yuan and locations cover Africa, North America, Oceania and Europe, according to a report in the Guangzhou Daily in 2012.

More than 100 countries allow hunting trips, according to the report.

In China, hunting has been illegal without a special permit since the 1990s.