HANGZHOU, Feb. 25 -- Prosecutors in eastern China's Zhejiang Province have charged 32 people for trafficking and selling endangered animals.

They are charged with crimes including illegally trafficking wildlife including pangolins, bear claws and salamanders, said prosecutors in Yongjia County.

Seventeen of the indicted are owners of restaurants and high-end clubs in Wenzhou, one of the richest cities in China. They allegedly bought the animal parts and processed them as food, according to a 23-page indictment.

Most of the animal parts were smuggled through the China-Vietnam border, the document showed.

Pangolins, which are under second-class state protection in China, are often smuggled because their meat is considered a delicacy and their scales are believed to be effective in treating skin and other diseases.

Under China's criminal law, those who illegally catch, kill, buy or sell endangered wild animals on the state's protection list may face more than 10 years in prison plus fines.