China to outlaw eating of protected animal species

China will jail people who eat rare animals for 10 years or more under a new interpretation of the criminal law, state media has reported.

The Beijing government is seeking to close a legal loophole and better protect the natural environment.

China lists 420 species as rare or endangered, including the panda, golden monkeys, Asian black bears and pangolins, some or all of which are threatened by illegal hunting, environmental destruction and the consumption of animal parts, including for supposedly medicinal reasons.