Zhang Jianlong, director of the State Forestry Administration, takes questions from the press at the "Minister's Passage" on March 12. [Photo by Zheng Liang/China.org.cn]

Two suspects have been arrested over a "pangolin dinner" case that went viral, a Chinese official said on March 12 in Beijing.

"Forestry police are probing into the case and we'll reveal more details after further investigation," Zhang Jianlong, director of the State Forestry Administration, told a group of reporters on the sidelines of the annual national legislative and political consultative sessions in Beijing.

A controversial microblog post in 2015 about an official banquet was dug up anew by netizens, sparking public outrage about eating the endangered animals and threatening local officials with serious trouble.

Weibo user Al_cal, later identified as Li Jiahe, son of a clock tycoon in Hong Kong, posted on his Weibo account that he'd attended a banquet in Guangxi hosted by local officials that included a pangolin dish.

He also attached pictures from the alleged banquet to the post, including the pangolin dish and a group photo of Li with several government officials.

Living conditions of wildlife have been frequently exposed. Recently, multiple online posts showed that a scrawny giant panda, called Shulan at a zoo in western city of Lanzhou, was foaming at the mouth.

Due to undesirable facilities in the zoo, Zhang revealed the panda has already been transferred to its hometown in Sichuan Province.

These cases showed the loopholes that existed in protecting wild animals, and the need to continue strengthening legislation for wildlife protection, increase punishment for smuggling and illegal operations, promote construction of national parks, and raise public awareness for animal protection, he said.

The Chinese pangolin, one of the eight species, has been heavily hunted and trafficked for its meat and scales, which are believed to have medicinal qualities.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature listed the Chinese pangolin as "critically endangered" in 2014 on the basis of a predicted decline in their numbers of up to 90 percent over the next couple of decades.