A buzzard is released into the wild on Nov 30 on the outskirts of Beijing. [China News Service] Two injured buzzards were released into the wild on Nov 30 after being nursed back to health at the Beijing Raptor Rescue Center in the Jiufeng National Forest Park, on the outskirts of the capital. GPS tracking data on Tuesday showed one of the birds of prey had flown to southern Henan province, while the other reached a county south of Shijiazhuang in Hebei province. The common buzzard is a wildlife species accorded second-level State protection. Yet they are still the target of poachers. Zhou Lei, who works at the rescue center, said one of the birds, which was sent to the center by citizens on Oct 12, had a slingshot pellet in its body. The other, received on Nov 16, had wounds to its mouth, chest and feathers. If a raptor has to be sent to our center that generally means it is terminally ill and we only have a small chance of saving it, Zhou said. He said the untamed nature of such birds makes them difficult to treat. Sometimes they tear off bandages just after we wrap them up. We had to make an Elizabeth collar for one, he said, referring to the conelike headgear often seen on injured cats and dogs. Before release, the center fitted the buzzards with GPS trackers, enabling its workers to monitor the birds' flight altitude and geographic coordinates. If we find that the buzzard is no longer moving, we search for it, as we may need to rescue it again, he said. Deng Wenhong, executive director of the rescue center and a professor at Beijing Normal University, said the solar-powered GPS trackers are made in China and weigh 17 grams. They can recharge as many as 500 times with direct light, oblique light and weak light. After the battery is depleted in two or three years, they automatically drop off. Raptors are at the top of the food chain, Deng said. They are the 'dominators' and 'regulators' of other species, critical to maintaining the stability of ecosystems. By tracking them, we not only learn their life-history traits, but also the characteristics of other species within their territory. About 80 percent of the 4,475 birds of prey helped by the rescue center last year were injured. Almost 15 had received wounds from nets, air guns or slingshots used by poachers. Other causes of injury included eating poisoned mice and hitting glass window panes. The two buzzards were lucky to be found early and receive professional treatment. But they still face the danger of being caught or killed, Zhou said. It is crucial to raise the awareness of citizens to protect and help raptors. It is unrealistic for rescue centers to organize patrols for injured animals. Qiu Weiyi contributed to this story. go wristbandscustom rubber band bracelets202mm to inches24 hour wristbandscustom wrist sweatbands
Ecological protection will be a major priority during construction work More than 70 percent of Xiongan New Area in North China's Hebei province will be covered by water and trees, according to a leading official. "We will not construct high-rise buildings, concrete jungles or glass walls in the new area," Chen Gang, director of the Xiongan New Area administrative committee, said. He added that protection of the local ecological environment will be regarded as a top priority during the construction process, which will follow a green development path. According to the development plan, announced in April, the area will cover about 100 square kilometers initially, but will be expanded to 200 sq km in the middle term, and rise to about 2,000 sq km in the long term. Infrastructure, businesses and residential buildings will cover less than 30 percent of the total area, while the remainder will be home to forests and bodies of water, according to a statement published on the area's official WeChat account on Thursday. The aim is to build a livable new area, with plant life, forests and water being the main elements, said Liu Baoling, executive deputy director of the administrative committee. He added that trees are already being planted across a 120,000-square-meter pilot region to provide experience with the cultivation of seedlings, planting technologies and management. Based on that work, a manual about the area's overall afforestation will be produced to guide further planting work. Another forestry project, covering 7 sq km, will start by the end of the year. By 2030, the area's woodland coverage rate will surpass 40 percent, more than double the national average, according to Liu. At present, the coverage rate in the three counties spanning the new area are 19.72 percent in Xiongxian, 9.3 percent in Rongcheng and 7.29 percent in Anxin. In addition to woodland, Xiongan is home to Baiyangdian, one of the largest freshwater wetlands in China. Know as the "Pearl of North China", Baiyangdian, which covers 366 sq km, contains 143 small lakes and is essential to the conservation of water on the North China Plain. The ecological restoration of the wetland has been one of the key tasks for the area. A range of measures have been undertaken, such as controlling the discharge of wastewater into the lakes and the removal of fish-raising nets in the water. The overall planning for Xiongan is already underway, and will include a specific plan for the protection of Baiyangdian's environment. According to the administrative committee, preparations are also being made to start a number of major projects in the fields of transportation, ecological restoration and cultural protection in line with the area's mode of development.
