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line Ailuropoda melanoleuca (David, 1869)


LEGAL STATUS

The Giant Panda is protected by a variety of Chinese legislation including the National Constitution, Forestry Law, presidential order, provincial legislation, country regulations and regulations of individual reserves. Under these laws, the death sentence or life imprisonment can be applied to offenders convicted of poaching Giant Pandas or smuggling Giant Panda skins.5 In early 1995 a Chinese peasant farmer who shot and killed a Giant Panda was sentenced to life imprisonment; three accomplices were jailed for shorter periods.15 In 1984, the Giant Panda was transferred to Appendix I from Appendix III of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). Trade in the species or its products is subject to strict regulation by ratifying parties, and trade for primarily commercial purposes is banned.



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