Tearing down the nets (1 Viewer)

[Frogfish]

More proactive stuff -
Migratory birds packed in crates saved by railway police - http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/747801.shtml#.ULvvjXcQt3k.facebook

Well retro-active but good to see ! I loved Hunan when I was in the Zhangjiajie area and was shocked to see how widesprread, and largescale, bird hunting is in this area.
Also this report on hunting (which would surely have benefits for birds) : http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/747019.shtml

On another note I was shocked to find 4 nets in Shanghai yesterday when I stopped the car for a quick loo break. I tore them down and threw the bamboo poles in a pond. I was only able to save 2 birds as the others, luckily - if that is the right word to use in this context - just a few, had died already.

It looks like maybe the nets had been emptied and re-erected recently or maybe, as the migration season has ended, there are just fewer birds around.

I will post a fuller report, and photos, in the Shanghai Perambulations thread within the next two days. Anyone is welcome to use these as they wish.

 

[thrush]

I just read through some of the recent posts. Shocking. My modus operandi is to tear down the nets as soon as I see them--and I've seen many. I'll long remember the too silent forest in Mengsong, in Xishuangbanna Prefecture, Yunnan, on the border with Burma. In two days of birding in the forest there last winter, the largest bird I found was an Asian barred owlet. Hornbills? Forget it. Long since hunted out. My group found a net with a fulvetta in it; the fulvetta must have just been caught, because it flew away vigorously when we untangled it. I tore down the net with such passion that I cut my finger deeply. As an indication of the scale of the problem there, consider that the leader of our party, a Chinese bird expert, was initially reluctant even to tear down the net, lest he "alienate" the locals, whose "support" he needed for his research; I "compromised" with him, merely tearing down the net, ripping it to shreds, and burying it on the spot, rather than (as was my initial idea) carrying it openly into town for all the locals to see.

 

[Gretchen]

Learning and writing about the stork incident

Shi Jin, wanted to let you know, when I needed a topic for students to practice writing articles and editorials on, I decided to present them with the Oriental White Stork Incident. Your site was a resource I suggested to them - nice to have a one-stop location for them to get info - so it turned out to be a nice resource for more than one purpose. I think the 20 of them learned a lot about storks and bird protection - and hopefully won't all groan at the mention of storks in the future :-O

Gretchen

 

[Shi Jin]

I'm just back to Beijng after a rather long and indulgent holiday in a well-known birding spot.

Despite the jet lag, I attended the Rang Houniao Fei conference in Beijing today.

It was a coming together of many of the key activists in the bird protection movement in China. Among the attendees were Li Feng, the Hunan photo-journalist who bravely exposed the Hunan shooting atrocities; Nemo, one of the Beidagang heroes who saved many Oriental White Storks; and Deng Fei, who does much great work for various charities in China, and is a powerful voice on bird protection issues.

I fervently hope that this event will be looked back on as the day that the national society for the protection of birds in China was officially launched.

With that in mind, here's wishing you all a very Happy New Year.

 

[thirudevaram]

Another distressing news from Jinshan district of Shanghai. I jus came across this in local forum. Who can put an end to this "Wild delicacy"? Even Yao ming and cheng long(Jackie Chan) are promoting to avoid the wild cuisine, the message has not reached many.

http://www.shwbs.org/swb/read.php?tid=7246

 

[Shi Jin]

Thanks Thirudevaram for posting photos of a vile practice.

On the subject of Shanghai, there is a very active local volunteer group that does great work in destroying many nets and making it harder for the people in the shots posted above to make a living.

But the main task is indeed education. As the ad campaign says, stop the buying and the killing will also stop.

 

[Jeff Hopkins]

I spent the weekend birding with McMadd and Frogfish in the Poyang Hu area. On one of our walks, we actually saw a blackbird fly into a net. We rescued that bird and another, and destroyed the net as best we could. This is the first time I've enountered one of these things. What an awful practice!

Unfortunately, one other bird was already dead and a fourth probably was too damaged or stressed to survive even after we untangled it.

You do what you can.

JH

 

[Shi Jin]

Dusturbing news yesterday from Dongting Hu in Hunan province.

15 Bewick's Swans (among many other birds) were poisoned.

Details on my website: http://www.chinesecurrents.com/baohuniaolei.html

 

[Shi Jin]

I spent the weekend birding with McMadd and Frogfish in the Poyang Hu area. On one of our walks, we actually saw a blackbird fly into a net. We rescued that bird and another, and destroyed the net as best we could. This is the first time I've enountered one of these things. What an awful practice!

Unfortunately, one other bird was already dead and a fourth probably was too damaged or stressed to survive even after we untangled it.

You do what you can.

JH

Couldn't agree more Jeff... "You do what you can do".

You can see some overwhelmingly sad things here at times, but I take much heart from the young, local birders and their determination to make things a lot beter than they are presently.

 

[rockfowl]

An estimated 11.5 km of mist nets threatens waders including Spoon-billed Sandpipers! - http://www.birdlife.org/community/2...poon-billed-sandpiper-wintering-site-in-china

 

[Gretchen]

Wow! I wonder if the Fujian and other bird societies are publicizing this on Chinese media - it seems this is the time to let people know while there has been a groundswell of interest in protecting birds.

 

[MiguelM]

I'm sorry to say this and I'm also sorry if I offend any one, but chinese hunger for eating anything that moves, plus their traditional medicine usage of endagered animal parts and their totally disrespect for animal life, is ruining our planet 's wildlife biodiversity

 

[AndrewHeath]

Poaching for Chinese markets is indeed a tremendous problem, MiguelM, but the species and populations that are most at risk under this threat are those whose habitats and lifestyles have already been heavily disrupted by local humans.

As an example, it is easy to get upset about elephants in Africa being wantonly slaughtered for ivory that is then sent back to China, but historically the local people and European traders/adventurers did far more damage to the original populations.

My point being, simply, that we all share blame.

 

[Frogfish]

Probably so Andrew but demand now is out of control and growing in line with the new found prosperity of the mainland.

Poisoning of ponds and lakes, mist nets covering hundreds of kms across the country (inc. many kms of nets on Poyang Lake), night hunting of large migrating birds with shotguns as sport.

Huge fishing fleets poaching around the world because seas close to China are virtually fished out.

100 million sharks per year is totally unsustainable and is going to irrevocably upset the balance of the eco-system within our oceans within just a few years.

Protected areas in such as the South Pacific and Eastern Pacific around the Galapagos Archipelago and Cocos Island (not that Chilean fishermen are any less to blame there) are being plundered and the eco-system destroyed.

That is before we even start on Panthera tigris, bears and ........ no need to go on, you know all this !

 

[Shi Jin]

Probably so Andrew but demand now is out of control and growing in line with the new found prosperity of the mainland.

Poisoning of ponds and lakes, mist nets covering hundreds of kms across the country (inc. many kms of nets on Poyang Lake), night hunting of large migrating birds with shotguns as sport.

Huge fishing fleets poaching around the world because seas close to China are virtually fished out.

100 million sharks per year is totally unsustainable and is going to irrevocably upset the balance of the eco-system within our oceans within just a few years.

Protected areas in such as the South Pacific and Eastern Pacific around the Galapagos Archipelago and Cocos Island (not that Chilean fishermen are any less to blame there) are being plundered and the eco-system destroyed.

That is before we even start on Panthera tigris, bears and ........ no need to go on, you know all this !

Yes I know this.

But, at long last, there is hope:

http://www.chinesecurrents.com/nemo.html

Li Feng (jpeg from the China daily below) is the inspiration for the Beidagang heroes.

These activists have, in turn, inspired many more groups up and down the country to get out there and tear down the nets, report poisoning incidents, take photos of illegal bird trading, lobby local government, demand action from the local forestry bureaus, name and shame culprits on weibo, etc, etc, etc...

Three weeks ago I attended a conference in Beijing to launch what is effectively the Chinese society for the protection of birds - 30 groups from all over China gathered to agree a plan of action under the organisation, Rang Hou Niao Fei.

But of course, the "fight-back" is just beginning.

And it's going to be a long, hard war.

But, thank goodness, there are increasing numbers of people up for the fight.

Best regards from Beijing.


Steve

 

[thirudevaram]

Hat's off to Li Feng. Not only for his heroic efforts in Hunan but for giving a bold comment like this.