Over 1,600 crocodile skins seized in China

Chinese authorities have siezed over 1,600 pieces of crocodile skin and 500 kilogrammes of crocodile meat from a boat in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, a media report said today.
During a patrol on Tuesday, a group of coast guards boarded a boat which was carrying a number of large polystyrene boxes.
Upon inspection, the boxes contained what appeared to be 1,609 crocodile skins, each around 1.4 meters long, and 506 kilograms of crocodile meat, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
The boat and its owner have been detained.
Crocodiles are under state protection in China and are also classed as endangered by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.

Crocodile skins are often used for making luxury handbags.