Authorities to boost wild bird protection
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E-mail China Daily, January 15, 2013
Five arrested for poisoning swans, ducks in Dongting Lake Wetland
To prevent the habitat of wintering birds from turning into a hunting ground, local officials in Dongting Lake Wetland of Central China's Hunan province have pledged stricter law enforcement.
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A distressed swan is taken from Dongting Lake, Hunan province, on Sunday after 15 swans and 31 wild ducks were found dead. Police believe the birds were poisoned and five suspects have been arrested. [China Daily] |
By Monday, a patrol led by the local forestry administration found that 15 swans and 31 wild ducks wintering in the East Dongting Lake had been poisoned to death. Two swans almost died but were saved after being sent to a nearby clinic.
Forestry police arrested five suspects at the scene, but the cause of the deaths is still under investigation, police said.
According to Liu Jianhua, an officer in charge of criminal investigations at the provincial forestry police bureau, police are analyzing the poisons.
"Once the cause is confirmed, the police will immediately prosecute the offenders," police said.
Dongting Lake Wetland is an important habitat and wintering area for East Asian migratory birds. According to the local forestry administrative bureau, a closed-off management system has been implemented in the key areas of the lake, including the big and small lakes, ditches and T-shape embankments.
Infrared video monitors have been installed in the core area.
"No one is allowed to enter the closed-off management zone without permission," said an official named Zhang. "But this time, the dead swans were found in the open area."
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