Five people have been given prison terms ranging from 10 to 15 years for killing protected animals in northwest China's Qinghai Province, a local court said last Thursday.

The five were found guilty of killing 19 snow cocks in November 2013 as well as five wild yaks, four blue sheep and 21 snow cocks in January this year, according to Ma Zhanbiao, deputy head of the Qilian County People's Court. Another suspect is still at large.

The five convicts have all filed appeals.

Qinghai Province, situated in the eastern part of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, is home to more than 70 species of endangered wild animals, including Tibetan antelopes and Tibetan wild donkeys.