A pond in South Putuo Temple in Xiamen, Fujian Province is overcrowded with released tortoise. (File photo/Chinanews.com)
(ECNS) -- Two governmental departments have called for a regulation on releasing aquatic life into the wild by religious believers.
A circular, jointly released by the State Administration for Religious Affairs and the Ministry of Agriculture, forbids releasing hybrid, bred and exotic species of aquatic organisms.
It also requires the release program to be organized in a civilized way and bans acts like throwing, scattering or dumping animals from an elevated place.
It says many so-called mercy release activities in recent years were unscientific and impacted the ecosystem.
The choice of waters, species, scale and timing for mercy releasing needs to be decided on a scientific and reasonable base, according to the document. Released animals are also forbidden to be captured again.
As a show of compassion, mercy release activities have been common practice among religious believers, but conservationists say the practice could impact threatened species.
