Chinese police have arrested ten people on suspicion of poaching 100 spotted seal cubs near a reserve on the country's northeast coast.
Chinese media say that the newborn cubs were found on a farm in Dalian in the province of Liaoning on February 11.
They had been kept under crowded and poor living conditions. 29 of them were confirmed dead.
Another ten died after being rescued by local environmental protection authorities. Spotted seals are a protected species in China.
Ten locals were under arrest on Monday on suspicion of poaching.
Police believe they poached the cubs on multiple occasions since mid-January at a local bay.
They reportedly told police they wanted to sell the cubs to aquariums.
The suspects are believed to have poached the animals outside a reserve for spotted seals at the bay.
Authorities have been criticized for failing to protect the animals from poachers. They say that frozen waters made it difficult to patrol the area by boat.
Authorities say the surviving seals will be released into the wild after they fully recover. They add that they will beef up efforts to protect them.
NHK
