BLAGOVESHCHENSK — Russian border control officials in the Far East have discovered almost half a ton of bear paws and Siberian musk deer organs being smuggled to China.
Federal Security Service officers seized over 450 kilograms of the packed bear parts and a gland and gall bladder from an endangered Siberian musk deer at a garage in the border city of Blagoveshchensk.
The bear paws came from around a hundred animals, officials said.
The packages "were being prepared to be sent to China," the border control service said in a statement.
Bear paws are often smuggled from Russia to many Asian countries, where they are considered a delicacy and are also used in traditional medicine.
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