QUIRKY WORLD ... China plans to take rare animals off the menu with strict prison sentences

CHINA: People who eat rare animals could be jailed for 10 years or more under a new interpretation of the criminal law, state media reported, as the government seeks to close a legal loophole and better protect the natural environment.

China lists 420 species as rare or endangered, including the panda, golden monkeys, Asian black bears, and pangolins, some or all of which are threatened by illegal hunting, environmental destruction, and the consumption of animal parts, including for supposedly medicinal reasons.

Consumption of rare animals has risen as the country has become richer, with some people believing spending thousands of yuan on eating them gives a certain social cache.