Some birds are found dead after being trapped in nets hung by farmers in Fangshan district to protect their crops and fruits. Photo: Zhang Shuo/Beijing Morning Post
Bird nets in Fangshan district's fields and orchards are killing wild birds, including nationally protected species, with farmers trying to keep their crops safe while leaving trapped birds to die in agony.
Animal protection volunteers are calling for a halt to the use of bird nets, while experts say the farmers' interests are equally important.
Three Japanese sparrowhawks, which are nationally protected birds of prey, were found dead, their bodies and feathers entwined in bird nets protecting orchards at Nanliuzhuang village, Fangshan district Saturday.
Bodies of other birds, mostly magpies and sparrows, were scattered on the thin, nylon strings.
Farmers began setting the nets years ago to keep birds from eating and damaging the fruit, said Sun Bingkui, a local resident and wildlife protection volunteer.
The nets are densely installed in the area, and trapped birds have almost no chance of escape and will die a couple of days later, he said.
"I understand the farmers, but it's so cruel just leaving the birds there to die," Sun told the Global Times. Sun has saved some 200 trapped birds during the past three years in Beijing, but still finds more of them are being killed, he said.
A village farmer told the Beijing Morning Post that birds often eat their fruit, so most of them use nets to protect their crops, rather than to catch birds.
But sparrowhawks feed on small birds and rats, according to Zhao Xinru, bird expert and professor at Beijing Normal University.
"It might have been the birds in the nets or on the trees that attracted them to the traps," he said.
"Japanese sparrowhawks are mainly seen in the northern parts of China, and migrate to the south in the fall," he said.
"It's illegal to sell bird-capturing nets, and people should stop using them," said Li Qiang, a volunteer at Friends of Nature, an environmental protection organization based in Beijing. He said he was once threatened when he failed to persuade some net owners and subsequently tried to dismantle them secretly.
Sun said he called police from the municipal forestry authorities, but they just came, took pictures and the nets still remain.
"We have regular inspections in townships and villages and we tell people not to use tools which could hurt birds," said Ding Jingtao, head of the Fangshan forestry police. Ding said they tried to cooperate with the industry and commerce administration to stop illegal net sales, but failed as it is difficult to identify the usage of nets sold in the market, so they could not really punish anyone.
Police have sent teams district-wide to see whether the nets have threatened wild birds, and are working on alternative devices to drive away birds rather than trap them, Ding said.
"We compensate farmers whose crops and fruit are damaged by wild animals such as boars, but not yet by birds," said Ding.
The forestry administrators will work out a plan after collecting inspection results, and farmers affected by birds might be compensated, he said.
Professor Zhao thinks it is unfair to farmers if animal protection activists insist on banning the nets, which could leave the fields and orchards unprotected and farmer's profits lowered.
"Using bird nets properly, for example in environmental projects, is perfectly legal and the professionals will not harm trapped birds," he said.
"If the farmers can apply to the authorities to use the nets, and there are people assigned to attend to the trapped birds, then it'll be a good way to obtain an ecological civilization with social developments," he noted.