Some 50 pangolins and 300 rare snakes confiscated by Customs officers in South China while cracking down on a smuggling case have been set free.
Part of a campaign dubbed "Eagle-Hunting Action" aimed at cracking down on animal smuggling in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, the case involved the cooperation of the Pingxiang Customs on the Sino-Myanmar border and the local forestry bureau.
Currently, over 60,000 wild animals, including 20,400 under state protection, have been seized during the campaign by an allied force consisting of local forestry bureaus, police, customs and bureaus for industry and commerce.
Huang Fuxing, a Guangxi wildlife protection official, said that animal smugglers lured by staggering profits, have become particularly bold and cunning in recent years.
To better protect wildlife resources, Huang said, Guangxi has earmarked 5.65 billion yuan (US$680.72 million) over the next 30 years to increase the number of the province's nature reserves from 64 to 1,067.
Besides, a total of 3 billion yuan (US$361.45 million) will be spent over next five years on projects aimed at protecting local wildlife such as wild deer, pheasants, monkeys and crocodiles.
According to Huang, over 80 million yuan (US$9.64 million) will be used to build wildlife surveillance centers. And some 890 million yuan (US$1.07 million) will be spent on the construction of wildlife industrial bases, the updating of five animal care centers and the establishment of two new wildlife parks.
(Xinhua News Agency December 14, 2001)
