Russians detained for bear paw smuggling

EDIT CONTAINS 4:3 MATERIAL

Two Russian men were detained for smuggling bear paws across the border in northern China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Chinese customs authorities said.

Officials said during a check of a worn minivan, they discovered dozens of bear pays hidden within the tires.

A total of 213 bear paws were found, worth about 2.8 million yuan. At present, two Russian nationals have been detained.

Bear paws are considered a delicacy in some parts of China and are used in traditional Chinese medicine.

Brown bears are on China's second-class state protection list and hunting them or trading their body parts is illegal.