Traders prey on birds

Nearly 30 percent of the eagles and falcons rescued by the Beijing Raptor Rescue Center were caught by poachers or traders, according to a report issued Friday by the center.

Illegal captivity is the second most common cause of injury to the birds taken to the center in its 10 years of operation. The same cause is rarely observed in the UK and North America. "Trade is responsible for 47.41 percent of all injuries attributable to human activity," said the report.

The center has cared for 3,349 birds, and 55 percent were released to their natural habitats in rural Beijing.