Wildlife in China are expected to be better protected thanks to a
tough campaign carried out by forestry police earlier this month.
More than 170,000 forest police took part in the campaign between
April 10 and 19, according to information released Monday.
The State Forestry Administration and the Ministry of Public
Security jointly organized the campaign to deter anyone considering
illegally killing, selling, buying or trafficking in
State-protected wildlife.
An
administration official surnamed Fan, who refused to give his full
name, told China Daily that police inspected some 14,900
animal fairs and 67,800 hotels and restaurants across the
county.
During the nationwide campaign codenamed Spring Thunder, 838,500
endangered animals were confiscated. About 45,000 of them were
wildlife with first-class State protection.
"We have scared those involved in illegal wildlife activities and,
at the same time, have greatly improved the public's awareness of
wildlife protection during the campaign,'' said Fan.
Police arrested 1,423 criminal suspects for further investigation,
the official added.
Fan said south China's coastal province of Guangdong made
outstanding achievements during the campaign.
Li
Ronggen, deputy governor of the provincial government, urged local
residents and restaurants to keep meat from potentially endangered
wild animals off their dinner tables after 317 cases involving the
killing and trafficking of State-protected wild animals were
discovered.
The deputy governor said 2,465 of the 59,080 wild animals
confiscated in Guangdong during the campaign were dead. Of the
animals confiscated, 138 were species with first class State
protection, while 7,973 were species with second-class State
protection.
Among the wild animals with State protection discovered by the
Guangdong authorities were monitor lizards, boas and pangolins.
The animals were illegally caught and transported to Guangdong from
the neighboring Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region or Fujian, Hainan,
Hunan or Jiangxi provinces by plane, train or coach.
Forty-seven suspects were detained for further investigation, Li
said.
During the campaign, 10,569 law-enforcement personnel inspected
5,500 bazaars, hotels and restaurants, 55 animal fairs and hundreds
of animal-feed lots throughout the province.
To
further protect wildlife, the Guangdong provincial government plans
to establish 10 nature protection zones by 2010.
With one of the richest varieties of biological resources in the
world, China has mapped out ambitious plans to bring more
endangered species of wild animals and plants under effective
protection.
Fifteen new projects are expected to begin throughout China by 2010
to bring more than 33 percent of the country's endangered species
of wild fauna and 45 percent of its rare flora under sound
protection.
The proposed projects are specially designed to shield the
following endangered species: the Chinese alligator, crested ibis,
elephant, forest musk deer, giant panda, gibbon, golden monkey,
orchids, Tibetan antelope or chiru, Tibetan gazelle, tiger,
tragopan pheasant, wild crane and wild deer.
The State Forestry Administration said: "The general target of our
long-term program is to actively save China's key endangered wild
animals and plants by putting them under top State protection."
(China Daily April 29, 2003)