TIANJIN - An endangered species of bird grabbed
headlines in Chinese media over the past week not because of its elegant
beauty, but because 20 died of poisoning in northern China.
Poachers poisoned the wild birds within a
wetland nature reserve in North China's Tianjin municipality. Their actions
left 20 Oriental white storks dead and 13 others sickened, triggering public
outcry for intensified protection of wild animals and harsher punishments for
those behind the deaths of the storks.
The birds, no more than 3,000 of which remain in
the wild worldwide, were stopping at the city's Beidagang Wetland Nature
Reserve along their migratory route from Northeast China to central Poyang
Lake.
Sources with the reserve management committee
have confirmed that the birds, as well as other species, were found poisoned on
November 11 after an amateur photographer spotted the dead body of a stork.
Volunteers and workers from the Tianjin Wild
Animal Rescue and Training Center carried out rescue work, retrieving 13
poisoned birds and 20 corpses.
Since being treated in the center, the 13
poisoned birds have made complete recoveries and are ready to be released on
Wednesday morning, according to Dai Yuanming, director of the center.
Dai said the birds have been banded for further
tracking and research.
Police said the water in the wetland was
confirmed to have contained carbofuran, also known as furadan, one of the most toxic
carbamate pesticides.
Local authorities are diluting the tainted water
and looking for the sources of the pesticide. It is believed that the birds
were poisoned by poachers who sell the rare birds to restaurants where
wildfowls are sold illegally.
Though hunting and trading endangered animals
are both banned in China, a large bird like the Oriental white stock can fetch
about 200 yuan (about $32) on the black market, while a swan can garner up to
1,000 yuan.
Local authorities have since stepped up protection
measures at the reserve, and a 50,000 yuan reward has been offered for clues on
the whereabouts of the poachers.
The poisoning of the wild birds has triggered
angry outbursts directed at poachers, as well as outcry for intensified wild
animal protection.
"What a cruel and greedy slaughter! The
storks are just like travellers on their way home, but now they will never have
a chance to get back on their way," "xianyubujiaoao" wrote on
Sina Weibo, a popular Twitter-like microblogging platform.
"No trading, no poaching! The true
murderers behind wild animal poaching are those greedy gluttons who devour
almost everything," wrote Weibo user "linxiaohaidechuntian."
Xue Manzi, a famous Chinese angel investor and
an active Weibo user, also asked the public not to eat wildfowls or other wild
animals and urged authorities to intensify their crackdown on the illegal
industrial chain of poaching, including restaurants that sell endangered
animals.
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