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An Eagle-peddler Ran Away after Meeting a Police Officer

(News from The First, Reporter: Chen Lin) An eagle rescued from an illegal trader by a police officer of the Ganjiakou station in Haidian was delivered to the IFAW Beijing Raptor Rescue Center (IFAW BRRC) yesterday. Another eagle was thrown to its death as the illegal trader fled.

Yesterday morning, Ganjiakou station police officer Sun Chaohui came upon the trader as he was patrolling in Hangtianqiao. The trader was under a bridge, with an eagle perched on his arm, trying to sell it to passers-by. Officer Sun knew that raptors are nationally protected birds and that selling them is forbidden and moved forward to enforce the law. The trader immediately started to run away, and Sun Chaohui gave chase.

After running for dozens of meters, the trader first flung the eagle on his arm to the ground then dropped another eagle, which had been tied up. While Sun Chaohui stopped to examine the eagles, the trader made his escape.

Later, Sun Chaohui called IFAW BRRC, whose staff arrived and examined the two eagles. One was a northern sparrowhawk and the other a Japanese sparrowhawk. Because of its weakened physical state and the trauma it suffered, the northern sparrowhawk had already died. Sun Chaohui said the northern sparrowhawk’s wings and legs were tightly bound. The  Japanese sparrowhawk’s legs were also tied.

The Japanese sparrowhawk was taken to the BRRC where it will convalesce for some time before being released back into the wild.