Four southern Chinese provinces have begun a 10-day crackdown on the rampant illegal trade in endangered species, many of which are sought as delicacies by restaurants. The operation — which began on Saturday and involves forestry, customs, airline, and police officials — led to the arrest of 396 suspects in its first three days and to the rescue of 13,309 animals, 4,178 of which are protected by Chinese law. Efforts are also underway to convince people that they shouldn’t eat exotic creatures, and a number of newspapers have run articles on the issue in recent weeks. “Eating wild animals can easily cause strange illnesses,” the People’s Daily reported in one article.
