Bad karma: freed snakes terrorize village

(Ecns.cn) -- Releasing animals from captivity is considered a compassionate act according to Buddhist philosophy. But sometimes those good intentions can go terribly wrong, China Newsweek reports.

On June 1, 2012, a group of Beijingers influenced by the Buddhist practice of "mercy releasing" bought a large number of snakes from a local pet market and set them free in the hills near Miao'erdong Village in Hebei Province. In the following weeks, panicked villagers reported several sightings of the snakes in houses and on roads.

Villagers also complained that the large number of snakes might upset the balance of nature in the area by preying on other animals.

Unexpected visitors

Yang Huiqin is one of many residents in Miao'erdong who now live in almost constant fear of snake attacks. She is especially scared for her daughter, who has cerebral palsy. The girl can't be left alone often, Yang says, now that there is always the possibility of a snake slithering into the house.

Yang encountered a large snake as she returned home on June 5. She had never dealt with a snake before but did her best to fight it off. She says the snake fought back and tried to attack her.

The stone fence around Yang's house has gaps wide enough for snakes to get through, so she now circles the house with a stick several times a day to make sure her home is safe.

Other villagers have had similar experiences in the past weeks, making everyone nervous – especially at night.

The mercy releasers have paid 40,000 yuan (US$6,288) as compensation to the village. The money is all fine and good, but because the snakes are already hiding here and there, they are still a threat and must be captured, says a local resident.

After searching for a week, villagers captured less than half of the released snakes. Some even found snake eggs.

Karmic profit

The practice of compassionate release has been a Buddhist tradition in China for thousands of years, but recently the number of mercy releasers has increased.

According to China Newsweek, most people join the groups because they believe doing good deeds to animals will improve their karmic balance.

In Beijing, hundreds of mercy releasers travel to the countryside on weekends to release animals into the wild. They usually free fish, birds and tortoises purchased from pet markets.

According to tradition, snakes are one of the four evil animals, so releasing them is believed to pay a greater karmic dividend. Therefore, snakes are now more in demand and more expensive than many other species.

A new industry has sprung up, and owners of pet markets and aquatic product shops have been quick to profit from it.

Good, but illegal, intentions

Compassionate release is a good deed and the villagers of Miao'erdong say they also support the act, but the snake release was improper, says Song Huigang, an expert from the China Wildlife Conservation Association.

In the first place, most snakes inhabit the southern part of China, so releasing them in Hebei Province is not a wise decision, as they may not survive the new environment there, says Song.

Besides, many species are not native to Hebei, and they can be aggressive and invasive, disturbing the local ecological balance, she adds. The Brazilian tortoise is a typical example: it has few enemies in nature and will cause unexpected consequences to local species.

Moreover, according to the Regulations for the Implementation on the Protection of Terrestrial Wildlife, those who want to release animals must get approval from forestry authorities in the areas where they plan to set them free. Offenders could face two years in prison.

In this case, the people who released the snakes without notifying local authorities were in violation of the law, says Song.

Each year in Beijing and its neighboring provinces a large number of animals die shortly after being released, mostly because they are unable to fend for themselves in the wild. The Beijing water authority announced last year that it would step up patrols to stop mass mercy releases.