Forestry officials in Northwest China's Shaanxi Province seized more than 1,000 captured wild birds on Monday and Tuesday, and the traffickers said they planned to sell the birds to Buddhists who would then release them, media reported.
More than 1,000 wild birds were found by local police in Yan'an over the two days, of which more than 200 were stored in a village warehouse and other 700 in a van, thepaper.cn reported Tuesday.
The two suspects told the police they planned to transport the birds to a temple fair and sell them to Buddhists who would then "mercifully release" them into the wild. The seized birds include songbirds, raptors, kestrels and owls.
The two suspects involved in the illegal purchasing, transferring and selling of endangered wildlife were detained by local police. The case is still under investigation.
Some seized birds that have been taken under the local forestry authority's wing have since died, thepaper.cn reported. The website was told that some birds would be released on Tuesday while the rest will be set free after receiving veterinary care.
Chinese government has increased its efforts to protect wild animals recently, especially as bird migration season arrives. Police in North China's Hebei Province rescued more than 36,400 migratory birds from being sent to southern China for consumption, thepaper.cn reported in September.
