HOHHOT, Dec. 8 (Xinhua) -- Three hundred pieces of marmot fur smuggled from Mongolia have been intercepted in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, border police said Friday.
A total of 25 bags of marmot fur was found in a bus from Mongolia on Wednesday in Erenhot, China's largest hub for cross-border trade with Mongolia.
The driver reportedly looked nervous as police searched the vehicle. They seized some 300 pieces of marmot fur concealed within the bus, according to the border inspection bureau.
Marmots mainly inhabit Mongolia and China's Inner Mongolia. They are listed as an endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources.
Marmot fur has a high value as it can be used to make hats and coats. But China bans the import of marmot fur out of the fear of plague.
