The aristocratic sport of hunting is fast gaining popularity among Chinese tycoons, with the country's super rich splashing out 100,000 pounds ($167,700) a week to join hunts across Great Britain, hkdailynews.com.hk reported.

Wealthy Chinese hire castles with butlers and associated staff included and wear tweed suits as they seek to emulate the British aristocratic lifestyle depicted in television series such as Downton Abbey, which has become a hit in China, the report revealed, citing foreign media reports.

Alibaba's founder Jack Ma is one of them. He is alleged to have once spent 36,000 pounds ($60,400) on a hunt with 11 friends. They rented out Aldourie Castle on the shores of Loch Ness, hiring a butler and a chef.

Meanwhile, domestic hunting farms are surging to meet stringent demands. Although China allows the hunting of only 14 of its animal species, the rich are in continual practice for the international market.

A manger at an overseas hunting farm recently commented that, "Many Chinese tycoons take pride in hunting more animals, and they pose next to their kills with V-signs to show off. Some hunted animals are often discarded."

However, with Ma serving as the chairman of the board for The Nature Conservancy's (TNC) China Program last year, the environmental organization issued an announcement on Monday, accusing the report of distorting facts.

Ma and several fellow board members participated in an expedition across protected land in Europe to study the management of wild animal species two years ago, the announcement stated, indicating that the report struck a blow against true protectors of nature.