Bidding will open in April for the takeover of the management of southwest China's first authorized hunting grounds. According to Sichuan Jiashili Auction Corporation, the starting bid is estimated to be 8.1 million yuan.

The upcoming auction has re-ignited interest in the controversial subject of legalized hunting. Last August, a proposed auction for wild animal hunting rights caused such an uproar that organizers buckled under public pressure and canceled the event.

Located at Hanzeng Town, Jiangyou City, 160 kilometers from Chengdu, the provincial capital of Sichuan Province, Shimashan Khan Hunting Ground covers an area of 146 hectares.

As the first authorized hunting ground in this region, Shimashan Hunting Ground was designed to be China's biggest hunting resort that could accommodate up to 3,000 people at any one time. Other projects planned for the resort include hot springs and eco-tours. Total investment in the resort is an estimated 150 million yuan.

The project's developers decided to outsource the management of the resort to keep costs down.

According to the auction declaration, the successful bidder will take over the management of some 50 wild animal species and related products, as well as the right to domesticate and breed the animals, and woodlands access.

Bai Yuanwei, who is part of the project development team, said: "In fact, visitors won't be hunting real wild animals as there are only domesticated animals available in the area.

"Judging from last year's average, a foreign hunter can expect to spend between 10,000 and 20,000 yuan per hunt."

But Bai pointed out that, although the hunting grounds cater largely to high-rolling foreign hunters, domestic hunters are also welcome. Further, customers will have the option of hunting small animals for under 10,000 yuan.

(China.org.cn by Huang Shan, March 8, 2007)