Reported by the Zhengzhou Evening News, a vocational college student, Yan, caught and sold 16 birds during his summer vacation. What he did not realize was that he and his friend, Wang, would face ten years’ jail time for capturing these 16 birds.

It turns out that these 16 birds were Eurasian Hobby birds - a national Class II protected species in China.

In July 2014, Yan spent his summer vacation in his hometown, Tulou Village in Huixian City. On July 14, Yan and Wang found a birds’ nest in the woods. The two of them captured the twelve birds in the nest. One escaped, and one died later on. Yan posted photos of the birds online, and soon one buyer in Zhengzhou offered 800 yuan for seven birds, and another buyer from Luoyang spent 280 yuan for two birds. The last one was sold to a local man.

On July 27, Yan and Wang found another nest and captured another four birds. But this time, employees from the forest public security bureau knocked on Yan’s door right after he took the four birds. On Sept. 3, Yan and Wang were arrested for capturing and selling Eurasian Hobby birds. On May 28, 2015, Yan was sentenced to ten and half years with a fine of 10,000 yuan for the crime of illegally hunting and selling rare wild animals; Wang was sentenced to ten years and fined 5,000 yuan for committing the same crime.

Yan’s family revealed on November 30, 2015 that they have found a lawyer for Yan, and are hoping to start a retrial of the case.