The Three Treasures of Northeast China are on the verge of extinction; one pelt is worth 300 US dollars, yet private breeding is banned

When people talk about Northeast China, the things that leave the deepest impression, apart from the ice sculptures, are probably the Three Treasures of Northeast China: ginseng, deer antler velvet and marten fur, which count as the region's signature specialities. It is precisely in this unique growing environment of Northeast China that ginseng, deer antler velvet and marten fur are worth far more than those produced in other regions. Today we will introduce one of these Three Treasures that is on the verge of extinction: the sable.

When it comes to sable fur, probably no one finds it unfamiliar; some fashion-loving women love wearing marten fur above all, since it is not only warm but also very good-looking. The sable is not large, generally about half a metre in body length and weighing around two jin, and wrapped in its fur it looks very cute as well. In the harsh weather of Northeast China, the sable is extremely agile and can easily catch birds, fish and other prey as food, and sometimes it also picks wild fruit from the trees to eat.

This swift-moving sable was never numerous in Northeast China to begin with, and its reproductive capacity is only average as well: each female produces no more than 10 cubs a year. Later, with the widespread spraying of rat poison and the shrinking of forest area, its habitat was destroyed and its numbers fell below what they once were.

Because sable fur is so expensive, since ancient times there has been the saying "first rank the black fox, second rank the sable", and in the freezing cold of Northeast China it is the best item for keeping warm. People therefore began large-scale hunting of sables to obtain their fur, and today sable numbers are on the verge of extinction. The most valuable part of the sable is its fur: one sable pelt can sell for 300 US dollars on the international market. Driven by such profit and to satisfy people's selfish desires, sables were hunted to the point that the sable became a national first-class protected animal; not only is hunting it illegal, private breeding is banned as well, and at present only some research institutes, zoos and breeding farms in our country keep them.

At present about 6,000 wild sables remain in our country, and they are now generally nowhere to be seen in the wild in Northeast China. Yet demand for sable fur at home and abroad remains very strong, and in Russia, with its long winters, the demand for imported marten fur is enormous. As things stand, the market prospects for sable breeding are good, but due to the shortage of breeding stock and the demanding rearing conditions, it is probably difficult for farmers to raise sables at present.