Chinese frog-hunters said to poison rivers

By Anatoly Medetsky

A Chinese poacher pours herbicides into a river

A Chinese poacher pours herbicides into a river
Empty bottles found on the scene with labels saying 'herbicides' in
Chinese

Empty bottles found on the scene with labels saying "herbicides" in
Chinese
A Russian border guard escorts the Chinese poachers

A Russian border guard escorts the Chinese poachers
Poachers being questioned

Poachers being questioned
The above photos are taken from the footage that border guards filmed
from their ambush late last year

From countless frogs to endangered leopards, wildlife in the Russian
Far East has fallen prey to the proximity of China, whose population
believes in the healing powers and culinary delicacies of certain wild
plants and animals.

But scores of poachers crossing over from China to sweep Russian
forests, rivers and sea bays have also begun to pose a health threat
for local residents, ecologists say.

In one of the most recent developments poachers have taken to
poisoning rivers on the Russian side of the border, which gives them
quick and easy access to numerous dead frogs, says Pavel Fomenko, a
biodiversity programs coordinator for the international environmental
group WWF.

Contaminated water then drifts downstream endangering anyone who would
drink from the river. According to Fomenko, two forest rangers
reported recently that they passed blood in their stools after they
used such water to make tea.

"Local residents are afraid of drinking water from the rivers," says
Fomenko.

Eager to collect evidence, agents of the Federal Border Guard Service
put up an ambush and filmed two Chinese pouring herbicides into a
shallow river late last year. Minutes later dozens of frogs came belly
up and one of the Chinese, clad in a khaki jacket and high rubber
boots, walked about in the water stuffing them into a plastic bag. The
pair was detained and handed over to China.

About 10 other rivers in the area around Vladivostok have been
contaminated by such practices that continued throughout this past
winter, Fomenko says. Frogs are considered a delicacy in China. Buyers
of poisoned frogs either don't suspect that they are poisoned or
believe that cooking neutralizes the poison, Fomenko speculated.

Alarmed by these reports, Russia's Natural Resources Ministry is doing
tests on water samples from the area's rivers to determine whether
their water is still potable.

The cruelty of such poaching is also a concern, says Fomenko. Another
brutal way of catching frogs is electrocution. According to police
reports, Chinese poachers are often caught carrying electricity
generators and two electrodes that they stick into the water. Last
year, customs agents seized 129 kilograms of dried frogs at the
border, which means that tens of thousands of these creatures had been
killed.

Chinese poachers set their eyes on the bordering Russian Far East
because of the high unemployment rate and near non-existence of
pristine nature in northeastern China. Some Chinese poachers enter as
tourists, which became easy after Russia opened its borders in the
early 1990s. Others cross over illegally, which is not difficult,
given the long and loosely guarded border, says Fomenko.

They pickle jellyfish on the seashore, collect wild ginseng in the
woods or hunt down endangered species. In another pattern, Chinese set
up underground centers to buy these wildlife treasures from Russians
who also suffer from the lack of proper jobs.

The extent and the effects of poaching grow increasingly devastating,
says Fomenko. In 1991 customs agents thwarted a mere 11 attempts to
smuggle out plants and animal parts while the number of such attempts
increased tenfold to 110 last year, statistics show. The overwhelming
majority of the contraband was bound for China.

"This is ecological terrorism," Fomenko exclaims describing the
Chinese influence on the regional wildlife.

Sometimes poachers threaten as much as regional biodiversity because
their targets include endangered Siberian tigers and leopards. Police
confiscated three leopard hides from Russians last year and
environmentalists maintain that the leopards were killed on contracts
with Chinese.

The Far Eastern leopard is facing extinction, with only about 30
specimens left in the wild and any killing may prove critical. Leopard
and tiger parts are used in traditional Chinese medicine.

The Chinese are interested in a surprisingly wide range of things such
as bear paws, ginseng or deer penises, depending on what is in demand
in China in a particular year, Fomenko says. Apart from frogs, paws of
Himalayan bears have been a hit lately, and customs agents seized 190
of them last year. Seizures of animal penises peaked in 1993 when a
total of 731 deer and fur seal penises were confiscated at the border.

On May 27, 11:44*pm, Tex wrote:
Chinese frog-hunters said to poison rivers

By Anatoly Medetsky

A Chinese poacher pours herbicides into a river

A Chinese poacher pours herbicides into a river
Empty bottles found on the scene with labels saying 'herbicides' in
Chinese

Empty bottles found on the scene with labels saying "herbicides" in
Chinese
A Russian border guard escorts the Chinese poachers

A Russian border guard escorts the Chinese poachers
Poachers being questioned

Poachers being questioned
The above photos are taken from the footage that border guards filmed
from their ambush late last year

From countless frogs to endangered leopards, wildlife in the Russian
Far East has fallen prey to the proximity of China, whose population
believes in the healing powers and culinary delicacies of certain wild
plants and animals.

But scores of poachers crossing over from China to sweep Russian
forests, rivers and sea bays have also begun to pose a health threat
for local residents, ecologists say.

In one of the most recent developments poachers have taken to
poisoning rivers on the Russian side of the border, which gives them
quick and easy access to numerous dead frogs, says Pavel Fomenko, a
biodiversity programs coordinator for the international environmental
group WWF.

Contaminated water then drifts downstream endangering anyone who would
drink from the river. According to Fomenko, two forest rangers
reported recently that they passed blood in their stools after they
used such water to make tea.

"Local residents are afraid of drinking water from the rivers," says
Fomenko.

Eager to collect evidence, agents of the Federal Border Guard Service
put up an ambush and filmed two Chinese pouring herbicides into a
shallow river late last year. Minutes later dozens of frogs came belly
up and one of the Chinese, clad in a khaki jacket and high rubber
boots, walked about in the water stuffing them into a plastic bag. The
pair was detained and handed over to China.

About 10 other rivers in the area around Vladivostok have been
contaminated by such practices that continued throughout this past
winter, Fomenko says. Frogs are considered a delicacy in China. Buyers
of poisoned frogs either don't suspect that they are poisoned or
believe that cooking neutralizes the poison, Fomenko speculated.

Alarmed by these reports, Russia's Natural Resources Ministry is doing
tests on water samples from the area's rivers to determine whether
their water is still potable.

The cruelty of such poaching is also a concern, says Fomenko. Another
brutal way of catching frogs is electrocution. According to police
reports, Chinese poachers are often caught carrying electricity
generators and two electrodes that they stick into the water. Last
year, customs agents seized 129 kilograms of dried frogs at the
border, which means that tens of thousands of these creatures had been
killed.

Chinese poachers set their eyes on the bordering Russian Far East
because of the high unemployment rate and near non-existence of
pristine nature in northeastern China. Some Chinese poachers enter as
tourists, which became easy after Russia opened its borders in the
early 1990s. Others cross over illegally, which is not difficult,
given the long and loosely guarded border, says Fomenko.

They pickle jellyfish on the seashore, collect wild ginseng in the
woods or hunt down endangered species. In another pattern, Chinese set
up underground centers to buy these wildlife treasures from Russians
who also suffer from the lack of proper jobs.

The extent and the effects of poaching grow increasingly devastating,
says Fomenko. In 1991 customs agents thwarted a mere 11 attempts to
smuggle out plants and animal parts while the number of such attempts
increased tenfold to 110 last year, statistics show. The overwhelming
majority of the contraband was bound for China.

"This is ecological terrorism," Fomenko exclaims describing the
Chinese influence on the regional wildlife.

Sometimes poachers threaten as much as regional biodiversity because
their targets include endangered Siberian tigers and leopards. Police
confiscated three leopard hides from Russians last year and
environmentalists maintain that the leopards were killed on contracts
with Chinese.

The Far Eastern leopard is facing extinction, with only about 30
specimens left in the wild and any killing may prove critical. Leopard
and tiger parts are used in traditional Chinese medicine.

The Chinese are interested in a surprisingly wide range of things such
as bear paws, ginseng or deer penises, depending on what is in demand
in China in a particular year, Fomenko says. Apart from frogs, paws of
Himalayan bears have been a hit lately, and customs agents seized 190
of them last year. Seizures of animal penises peaked in 1993 when a
total of 731 deer and fur seal penises were confiscated at the border.

The New China Toxic $yndrome -by- Len Bracken
http://www.lenbracken.com/china.html
An Essay with Pictures