A police officer in Qinghai Province has been detained for being suspected of hunting and killing endangered wild animals, local authorities in Tianjun county said Monday.

An official surnamed Luo from the county government's publicity office told the Global Times Monday that the 33-year-old suspect, Ma Yongming, who heads a police station in the local Longmen township, was detained on Sunday and removed from his post Monday.

"Ma is accused of killing many nationally-protected animals. Bodies of one kiang (an Asian wild donkey), two Tibetan gazelles and one Saker Falcon were found in the police station. The case is still under investigation," said Luo.

The case was first revealed by a Sina Weibo user on Friday, saying that "a police officer at the Longmen police station killed protected animals and local residents have reported to the police," triggering public outrage.

The user posted several pictures online that showed bloody animal corpses. Some had their skin peeled off while others were dismembered and placed in a refrigerator. The Longmen police station's door sign appears in the pictures.

China's Criminal Law states that people who hunt and kill rare, endangered wild animals could face at least 10 years in jail and fines under severe circumstances.