Smuggler caught with 22 bears running free in his car tried to convince customs officials they were dogs

Wu Meng caught with 22 bear cubs in car in Zhaotong, South West China

Claimed he thought the animals were pedigree Akita puppies

Police also found the body of a dead bear in his boot



It is believed the animals would have been used for Chinese medicine

A Chinese smuggler was caught red-handed with 22 baby bears running free in his car - but when questioned by police, the man claimed that he thought the animals were dogs.

Wu Meng, 28, told border patrol guards in south-west China that he was going to sue them when they took away what he described as rare pedigree Akita puppies.



When a vet confirmed that all 22 of the furry animals were not dogs and were in fact bears, Meng claimed that he had been ripped off by the seller.

Smuggler Wu Meng was caught by police with 22 baby bears running freely in his car. When questioned by guards, he claimed he thought the animals were dogs

When a vet confirmed that all 22 of the furry animals were not dogs and were in fact bears, Meng claimed that he had been ripped off by the seller

The bears are now being kept at a local zoo. The director of the Yunnan Wild Animal Zoo, Wang Sun, said that the cubs had been placed in a new enclosure and were being 'well cared for'

He said that he intended to sue the market trader who had sold him the animals claiming that they were pedigree dogs.

Meng was stopped by police on a highway in Zhaotong in China's Yunnan province.

He was approaching the border to the neighbouring province where police were carrying out a routine roadside check.

As well as the 22 baby bears on the back seat of the car, police also found a dead bear hidden in the boot.

The discovery confirmed that the man was an animal smuggler.

The smuggler claimed that he had been ripped of by a market trader who had sold him the bears saying that they were pedigree puppies

Under pressure, Meng eventually admitted that he had been asked to transport the bears to an address in Chengdu in southwest China's Sichuan province. He said he did not know what they would be used for

Under pressure, Meng eventually admitted that he had been asked to transport the bears to an address in Chengdu in southwest China's Sichuan province.

The bear cubs were handed over to an animal sanctuary and Meng was arrested.



The director of the Yunnan Wild Animal Zoo where the cubs have been given a home, Wang Sun, 53, said: 'After quarantine they've been released into the new enclosure and they are being well cared for.'



Meng said that he did not know what would have happened to the bears if they had been successfully smuggled.

The 22 bears were found running around freely in the back of Meng's car. When the boot was searched the body of another bear was also found

It is believed that the cubs would have been used in Chinese medicine where bear parts are in high demand. The farms where the animals are kept cage the animals in terrible conditions

In Chinese medicine the gall bladder and bile from the animal are used to cure heart and liver conditions

It is believed that they would have been used in Chinese medicine where bear parts are in high demand.

In treatments, the bile from the gall bladder of the animal is used for liver, gall bladder, heart, spleen and stomach conditions.

The product is said to stop spasms such as epilepsy and childhood convulsions.

The m ethods used to extract th e bile from the animals are particularly cruel an d t he animals are hel d in cramped cages .



