[File photo]

The cause of death of over 200 migratory birds in northern China’s Inner Mongolia has been confirmed by local police as poison. Police have offered a reward for information about the poachers who set the poison.

According to an announcement on Oct. 24, the corpses of 259 water birds were found in a local lake, which is a migratory stop for the wild fowl. The birds were killed with carbofuran, a lethal pesticide.

“I have worked alongside the local forest police to retrieve dead swans from the lake. There are too many corpses, I cannot even count the number,” remarked Uliji Bathu, a local forest ranger, in an interview with Beijing Youth Daily.

“Many local residents have heard gun shots at night in the past few days. It seems that poachers do not dare to shoot the birds during the day, though no wounds were found on the dead birds. Maybe they transferred some of the corpses already,” Bathu added.

“Poison is a common method used by poachers to kill birds. The poachers seem to be fully aware of the migratory route of the swans, as the birds must stop for food during their trip south, normally around lakes and wetlands,” said Zhou Haixiang, director of the ecological research office of Shenyang Ligong University.

According to the list of endangered and protected species in China, swans are a Level 2 protected species, meaning they cannot be killed or sold. People who illegally kill swans may face up to five years in prison.