In light of recent public outcries against the mistreatment of animals, Taobao.com and Tmall.com, two of the leading e-commerce sites in China, have banned the sale of bear gall, shark fin and other animal products that are obtained through questionable or cruel methods.

Jin Yuanying, a senior director with the department of social responsibility at Hangzhou-based Alibaba Group Holding Ltd, said that the two sites will stop selling these products to help protect the environment and in support of animal rights. "Change starts from us ourselves and consumers," he added.

Alibaba and Taobao.com have banned the sales of shark fin on its sites since 2009. In May 2010 Alibaba announced it would stop selling bear gall and any bear-related products. The group has gone on to place more stringent restrictions on the sales of animal products, particularly nationally protected animals.

When the number of Chinese Internet users passed 500 million in December, there was additional pressure for the e-commerce leader in China to place more emphasis on animal protection.

"Now on the two online trading sites there are some products that are labeled with 'shark fin' tags to attract attention. They're not the shark fin we're banning, but rather squid," said Ni Lian, a quality control representative with Taobao.com.

He added that the prevention and eradication of sales of these illegal products is a long process.

Most online vendors understand and cooperate with them, Ni said. Some members have even made donations to the Animals Asia Foundation.

The Alibaba Group is doing more to support the protection of animals through different initiatives. In January, Alibaba collaborated with Animals Asia Foundation to initiate a project. They organized a charity bazaar on Taobao's platform to sell bags and hats designed by singer Karen Mok, image ambassador for the charity. All the proceedings from that went toward bear protection projects.

In May 2010, Alibaba group provided monetary assistance for a bear rehabilitation center in Sichuan. The bear the group supported, named Alibaba, arrived at the center after living in Shandong for 15 years where it was gravely mistreated.

(China Daily 03/12/2012 page22)