Fears for Beijing’s wildlife following rainstorm

Animal rights activists fear that wildlife may struggle to survive following the heavy rainstorms that hit the capital on July 21, particularly in the  worst-hit district of Fangshan.

Some first-class protected species, particularly birds, may be especially affected, said activists.

Li Li, founder of Beijing-based Black Leopard Wildlife Conservation Station, said that they found footprints and excrement of some wild animals in Fangshan, such as wild pigs, Asian leopard cats and antelopes.

"This proves they are still alive now, which is good news for us. But we also found that they are facing difficulties in looking for food," Li said.

He went to one of their observation stations near the Juma River Monday soon after the road to the river reopened, in order to look for black storks, listed as a first-class State protected animal in China.  

According to Li, there are nearly 48 black storks living there, including four chicks born in early June.

"They built nests in a hollow more than 200 meters up on a cliff, so their nests were not really affected by the landslides or floods, and their lives weren't endangered," he said.

However, since the river water has been polluted by sediment flushed in by the landslides, black storks, which usually feed on small fish in clear water, will be unable to find sufficient food. 

"They normally fly down from the cliff to hunt for food four or five times a day, but from our observations over the last three days, we only saw them once by the river," Li said.

They even noticed Monday that a stork swallowed a small lizard, a rare sight during their 10-year observation of the birds.

Currently, the black storks are relying on dead fish found on the river banks. 

But expert Zhu Lie, from the Institute of Zoology at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said it is unnecessary to worry unduly over wild animals.

"Their nests or dens are normally wisely built in an area which is safe  from natural disasters. Black storks normally build their nests very high on a cliff, for example. The floods may affect their hunting for food for a short time, but wild animals can easily adapt to the changing environment," he said.