An official from Shanghai's wildlife protection department rescues wild ducks in suburban Nanhui District Thursday.

Shanghai's wildlife protection department launched a campaign against the illegal hunting and breeding of wild animals on Thursday.

The crackdown, which is part of a countrywide campaign organized by the State Forestry Bureau, will run until the end of this year.

Officials from the Shanghai Forestry Bureau said the action will cover major habitats for wild animals, wildlife breeding farms, wild animal trade companies, bird and flower markets, and restaurants.

"As the migration of migratory birds enters its peak in late October in the city, reports of illegal hunting and trade of wild birds are increasing," said Xie Yimin, director of the bureau's wildlife protection division. "An underground network involved in the hunting and trading of wild birds has been formed around beaches and wetlands in suburban districts like Nanhui, Fengxian and Jinshan."

The campaign got off to a rocky start yesterday when officials tried to capture a group of duck hunters in Nanhui District. The hunters allegedly used a net to trap wild ducks that had been attracted to a pond by several domesticated ducks the hunters used as bait.

The hunters all managed to flee before officials could catch them.

(Shanghai Daily November 17, 2006)