Shanghai: Almost exactly 100 years ago, a British botanist called Ernest Wilson laid down a compelling challenge for big-game hunters: the giant panda. "It is the sportsman's prize above all others worth working hard for in western China," he wrote. "No foreigner has so far seen a living example."

The gauntlet thrown, hunters began flooding into China in search of the elusive beast and, soon enough, pandas became even rarer. An industry quickly grew as poachers, on the promise of huge rewards, began combing the bamboo forests of Sichuan on behalf of natural history museums and zoos in the West.

Giant panda Mei Xiang enjoys an afternoon nap at the National Zoo in Washington. Credit:Reuters

Today, the cycle of history has turned and China has become the villain; accused of encouraging poaching across Africa and Asia by turning a blind eye to the illegal ivory, tiger bones and rhino horns that pass through its markets, it is at the centre of discussions at this week's London Conference on the Illegal Wildlife Trade.

Demand from Chinese buyers - who are willing to pay up to $330,000 for a single horn - helped to fuel a 42 per cent increase in rhino poaching in South Africa last year, while 22,000 African elephants were killed for their ivory. China is "marching elephants towards extinction" said one headline, while conservationists have asked why the Chinese are not doing more to stop the slaughter. Do they not care about the elephants?