Li Dong (pseudonym), the owner of an eagle farm in Jiangxi Province, who claims to have successfully bred thousands of eagles by hand, is very upset recently, saying that “the outside world is watching this matter closely” and “it’s very troublesome”. He wants to resell his eagle farm once and turn to cattle farming.

This is the largest eagle farm in China. It was founded in July 2015 and is in Nanling Town (Lianhua County, Pingxiang City, Jiangxi Province). Mr. Li Dong, the boss, is a well-known local man. He suffered from polio since childhood. Because of his poor family, he only went to the fourth grade of primary school and made a living at the age of 11. According to his own account, since then, he has opened iron mines and trafficked timber in the local area. Since he often runs to forest areas, he has become interested in breeding wild animals.

When Li Dong first tried to breed Black-eared Kite (Milvus migrans lineatus), he said he was traveling in a certain place in Henan Province. When he saw an old man selling three eagle eggs, he went up and asked, “are there any eggs left?” As a result, the old man soon found another 10 eagle eggs. Therefore, Li Dong took those eggs back to Jiangxi and started his business in the artificial breeding farm with an electric incubator.

Li Dong describes his breeding technology as "the result of many years' hard work". He said that eagles usually lay eggs every spring from February to March of the lunar calendar, with a nest of 3-4 eggs, but how to get them to lay eggs skillfully, such as: How to build the site? How to build a birdhouse? How to build a bird's nest? What food to eat in the breeding period and how to prevent diseases? Those are all his core "business secrets". He would only tell his customers these secrets if they bought his eagles. Public information query shows that this farm of Li Dong is also the governing unit of the Pingxiang Wildlife Protection Association.

Li Dong said that in 2014, a researcher engaged in raptor research of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) came to his farm especially to discuss with him how to solve the problem of artificial breeding, and he also refused to tell the researcher with "business secrets". However, Article 3 of the Measures for the Administration of Domestication and Reproduction License of National Key Protected Wild Animals (hereinafter referred to as the "Administrative Measures") issued in 1991 and revised in 2015 stipulates that units and individuals meeting the following three conditions at the same time can apply for domestication and reproduction license, that is, there are fixed places and necessary facilities suitable for domestication and reproduction of wild animals; have personnel and technology suitable for the type and quantity of domesticated and propagated wild animals; ensure the feed source of domesticated and propagated wild animals. The following Article 4 stipulates that if one of the three conditions is met, the license for domestication and reproduction may not be granted, i.e. the wild animal resources are unclear, the domestication and reproduction have not been successful or the technology has not passed the customs, and the wild animal resources are very few.

Black-eared Kite is a national second-class protected animal. The provincial forestry department is responsible for the relevant administrative examination and approval of its domestication, reproduction, and utilization. However, compared with the "Administrative Measures", it is puzzling that how does the administrative examination and approval department determine that it has the breeding technology in the second article of the permitted necessity? Or just the culture technology after incubation, as the whole process of breeding technology? From the information that Li Dong has preached many times to the outside world, he has solved the problem of joint swelling to death in the process of changing feathers with Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), but avoided discussing how to breed and lay eggs, insisting it was a "commercial secret". However, protecting wildlife and the ecological environment in the public interest of the whole people. It should not be the "secret" to the government departments responsible for administrative examination and approval, right?

At the same time, according to Article 4 of the "Administrative Measures", if one of them is met, the license for domestication and reproduction cannot be approved. However, this eagle farm in Jiangxi Province is not in accordance with the first two basic circumstances, it still has those two licenses: "Domestication and Breeding License" and "Operation and Utilization License". For example, regarding the situation of wild animal resources, first, the situation of wild species resources of black-eared Kite in China and even in Jiangxi is not clear up to now; second, the domestication and breeding technology claimed by the breeding place has not been publicly seen in any technical evaluation or certification publicity. Is it possible that any owner of the breeding house claims that he has breeding technology, even if he has it? A farm owner graduated from the fourth grade of primary school, even if he can surpass all the domestic researchers specializing in raptor breeding, but how to prove it?

At a time when China now attaches great importance to the construction of ecological civilization and repeatedly emphasizes the protection of wildlife and habitat environment, it is hoped that the relevant management departments will strictly perform their duties, not easily make the so-called “trade secret” a cover for illegal poaching, and make the so-called “trade secret” a “management black hole” in fact.

(Photo source: Internet)

Original Chinese article:

http://www.cbcgdf.org/NewsShow/4854/11262.html

By / Xue Tongtong