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)