Protected plant list updated

In China, there are 26 different species of snowshoe hares. Its flowering period is mostly around July and August. It is a perennial one-time flowering plant. After the flowering period, when the seeds mature, the plant's maternal body completes its life course.

"This time, the jellyfish snowshoe hare is classified as a second-class, which is a great thing and will definitely curb the poaching. But here comes the problem. There is more than one type of snowshoe hare that looks like a snow lotus. The jellyfish snowshoe hares are included in the protection, but those poachers may reach out to other snowshoe hares," Gu says.

"Of the 26 species of snowshoe hares in China, most of them, like the jellyfish snowshoe hares, are covered with fluff. And in the recent pirating incidents, it is not just the jellyfish snowshoe hares involved."

Every summer, stolen snowshoe hares are sold on the market for just a few dollars.

Sun Xiaomei, a plant enthusiast based in Chengdu, Sichuan province, has a passion for plant photography.

She said she once encountered some villagers collecting, buying and selling snowshoe hares on Baima Snow Mountain in Yunnan province. There were dozens of people, and three pickup trucks were parked at the foot of the mountain, with a dozen sacks stacked on them. They were filled with all kinds of snowshoe hares. When she and her friends confronted them, they didn't feel ashamed at all, and told them to mind their own business. Unfortunately, Sun was unable to record a video for evidence.