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Thursday, May 01,
2003
Tough action against illegal wildlife traders People’s Daily
WILDLIFE in China is expected to be better protected, thanks to a tough campaign carried out by forestry police last month involving more than 170,000 personnel. The campaign, held jointly by the State Forestry Administration and the Ministry of Public Security from April 10 to 19, was aimed at curbing the illegal killing, selling, buying or trafficking in protected wildlife, according to information released on Monday. During the campaign codenamed “Spring Thunder,” police inspected some 14,900 animal fairs and 67,800 hotels and restaurants across the county. A total of 838,500 endangered animals were seized, about 45,000 of them wildlife with first-class State protection. “We have scared those involved in illegal wildlife activities and greatly improved the public's awareness of wildlife protection during the campaign,” said a forestry agency official. Police also arrested 1,423 criminal suspects for further investigation, the official added. In Guangdong, its deputy governor Li Ronggen urged local residents and restaurants to keep meat of potentially endangered wild animals off their dinner tables after 317 cases involving the killing and trafficking of State-protected wild animals were discovered. Among the wild animals found were monitor lizards, boas and pangolins. They were illegally caught and sent to Guangdong from the neighbouring 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. With some of the richest varieties of biological resources in the world, China has mapped out ambitious plans to protect its endangered species. Fifteen new projects are expected to begin by 2010 to bring more
than 33% of its endangered species of wild fauna and 45% of its rare
flora under protection. – People's Daily |
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