The 25th Annual Bird Loving Week kicks off as a hawk is released into the blue sky over Beijing on Sunday.

The Beijing Garden & Park Administrative Bureau, Wildlife Conservation Association and Love Bird Association have joined hands with the Beijing Botanical Garden this year to organize the week's activities, under the theme "Protecting Ecology and Wildlife, Building Harmony to Welcome the Olympics."

A working member of the staff of IFAW Beijing Raptor Rescue Center releases a buteo that has recovered during the opening ceremony of the 25th Bird Loving Week in Beijing.

The hawk, or more specifically buteo, freed at the opening of the festival is one of the animals under second-level state protection. It was saved by a college student and cured by an animal aid center in Beijing.

Bird Loving Week consists of a wide range of activities, including opportunities to build birds' nests and sign a declaration that states you will "Do your part in animal protection and say no to eating wildlife." Reportedly, in less than a day, thousands of residents actively got involved and signed up.

The numerous activities throughout the week will promote wildlife protection among the public. Lectures on the "Fuwa," the mascots for the 2008 Olympic Games, including a fish, panda, sparrow and Tibetan antelope, will be given to primary and middle school students. Hundreds of thousands of guidebooks on bird-watching will also be handed out.

In addition, the event's organizing committee has compiled a series of books and handout materials centering on wildlife to better publicize the idea among the public.

Wildlife are an important part of Nature. The way we treat wild animals reflects how civilized we are and has a direct impact on the ecological balance of our surroundings.

Bird Loving Week has taken place during the first week of April every year since 1981.

Kids sign up to help welcome the Olympics and protect wildlife during the opening ceremony of the 25th Bird Loving Week in Beijing. A man-made nest is hung on a tree branch to promote better care for birds during the opening ceremony of the 25th Bird Loving Week in Beijing. A man-made nest is hoisted on a tree branch to promote better care for birds during the opening ceremony of the 25th Bird Loving Week in Beijing.

(CRI April 1, 2007)