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April 30, 2017

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Progress in protecting birds from poachers

IN Chongming, the sanctuary island of Shanghai wildlife, the battle against poachers never ends, though officials report some progress.

The problem has eased somewhat since Chongming was officially designated as Shanghai’s third wildlife sanctuary zone last November, putting it under stricter conservation regulations. At the same time, law enforcement raids are pinching some of the illegal channels used by poachers to sell their booty.

Li Yongtao, deputy director of the Chongming Wildlife Protection Station, said bird life suffers the most from illegal poaching, but frogs and snakes are also targets.

Birds, easy targets during migration and wintering-over seasons, are trapped by illegal netting strung across popular habitats. Some 100 nets are removed every day by law enforcement officers and conservation volunteers.

Bird netting is cheap to buy and easy to set up. Some poachers use bird-whistles to lure their prey to the nets, wildlife officials said.

The netting can stretch longer than 10 meters. While volunteers and law enforcement officials may eventually track them down and remove them, the perpetrators are much harder to catch.

Last year, about 3,000 bird nets were removed in Chongming, most of them before October. The number immediately dropped during the winter season as the tighter regulations took effect. Poachers now face heavy penalties if caught.

Li, a Chongming native and wildlife conservationist since 2007, said poachers who are nabbed by police are reticent to reveal where and how they sell the wild birds they catch.

“One person even went so far as to claim that he was trying to free trapped birds when police caught him at the nets,” he said. “Other than bird nets, poison is another weapon used against birds.”

Some of the birds are sold to local restaurants, which serve them up as expensive game delicacies. Some raptors are sold to people seeking exotic pets through illegal channels.

Since late December, at least five interdepartmental raids have been conducted, all related to illegal poaching and wildlife trafficking.

On January 17, restaurants near tourist attractions were targeted in one raid. Officers seized 14 frozen white-rumped spice finches (Lonchura striata) from the Shennong restaurant on the Beiyan Highway. The owner was taken into custody.

“We have been warning restaurants in Chongming not to buy wild animals, and notices have been posted in restaurants with hotline numbers for the public to report violations,” said Li.

Public awareness events are held in schools, villages, tourist attractions and the downtown area to try to help protect wildlife, he added.

Illegal trafficking extends beyond the island. Raids in other districts of Shanghai have been mounted this year. On March 31, Pudong law enforcement team found wild birds and snakes in three restaurants.

Across Shanghai, volunteers are active in conservation programs to preserve wildlife. They conduct field surveys and hunt for hidden bird netting.

Jiang Long, one of the volunteers, began his conservation efforts in 2006.

“We do conservation and education projects about wildlife and habitats,” he said. “In the beginning, we traveled around suburbs like Chongming, Minhang and Qingpu to check for illegal netting. We started off by trying to protect birds, and then we expanded into habitat conservation.”

Volunteers go out in the field two or three times a month in the peak poaching seasons of autumn and winter, Jiang explained. He was last on Chongming Island earlier this year.

“We saw very few new nets,” he said of the most recent excursion.

“Most of the ones we found were leftovers from past.”

New regulations in the Chongming wildlife sanctuary zone.

• Those who capture wild animals illegally in the sanctuary will be fined, and their catch, tools and illegal gains will be seized. Criminal prosecution may result.

• Perpetrators will be put on record if they are found illegally capturing 20 or more terrestrial wildlife, found using prohibited tools and methods, or found in circumstances resulted in heavy damage to wildlife.

• Those who violate hunting regulations and capture 50 and more terrestrial wildlife in the sanctuary will be guilty of a major crime. Cases involving 100 and more captured wildlife will be considered particularly grave.

How the public can help

• If you come across illegal poaching, transport or sale of wildlife or wildlife products higher than Class II protected species, call 110.

• If you find shops or restaurants selling illegally captured wildlife and products, call 12315 to report the matter to the Industry and Commerce Department.

• If you find individuals and vendors selling wildlife or wildlife products on the street, call 021-6316-6666 or 5290-1111 to report the matter to the Shanghai Forestry Bureau.

• Municipal hotline: 021-5158-6246, 9am-5pm weekdays; 9:30am-4pm on weekends.

• Chongming hotline: 021-5962-3002 weekdays: 8:30-11am and 1:30-8:30pm; 021-5962-1812 weekends: 8:30-11am and 1:30-8:30pm.




 

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