NGO sponsors benefit concert for raptors

Qu Quancheng and local bands Sweet Rock and Jelly Fish singing at Weibozhiyan Club to raise funds for the Beijing Raptor Rescure Center. Photo provided by Beijing Raptor Rescue Center

By Liang Meilan

Don’t Eat Friends, a non-government organization promoting animal protection, sponsored a concert at Weibozhiyan Club last Sunday to raise funds for the Beijing Raptor Rescue Center.

Singer Qu Quancheng and local bands Sweet Rock and Jelly Fish supported the event by performing for free. Xie Zheng, founder of Don’t Eat Friends and a musician, sang an original composition about wildlife.

All proceeds from the event will go to the Beijing Raptor Rescue Center, which helps sick, injured or lost wild birds of prey, as well as those confiscated from poachers.

The center’s rehabilitation therapist Liu Shuai spoke at the concert about the precarious situation of Beijing’s birds of prey and how to rescue them. Beijing is home to many raptors like owls and hawks, most of which are first- or second-class nationally protected animals. “They not only reside at the outskirts but also frequently appear downtown,” Liu said, adding that the city also sees many migratory birds of prey in spring.

It is in spring that raptors quickly multiply, so it is common to see young that have fallen from their nests. “Baby raptors have strict nutritious requirements, so it is irresponsible to bring them home and feed them human food like boiled meat, which can lead to malnutrition and bone deformities,” Liu said. “The best action is to put the fledgling back in its nest or near its parents. If that is not possible, put it in a warm, safe place with dim light; for instance, in a carton with scraps of paper, and then contact the local wild animal rescue department as soon as possible,” she said.

Liu said that the birds are also threatened with loss of habitat, food poisoning, poaching and illegal breeding. Unscientific treatment and breeding in unsanitary conditions may lead to deadly diseases such as eelworm disease, she said.

The Beijing Raptor Rescue Center, which is supported by the Beijing Municipal Forestry Bureau, has treated some 3,000 raptors since its establishment in 2001. More than half the birds have been released back into the wild. For rescue leads, call the center’s hotline 6220 5666.