Into the wild

Environmental groups raise concerns that Buddhist practice of freeing captive animals do more harm than good

A recent article in the Beijing Evening News reporting an unusually high incidence of people bitten by poisonous snakes in Beijing's public parks has put public scrutiny on a centuries-old Buddhist and Taoist practice of releasing captive animals into the world.

The practice, known as "mercy release," is based on the belief that releasing captured animals will build good karma and bring good future to the person performing the deed. Dating back to the Spring and Autumn Period (770BC-476BC), practitioners of the ritual, either individually or in groups, will typically take captive animals to the site where they will be released. After a short ceremony involving religious incantations, the animals will be freed into the wild. Animals that are commonly released include birds, fish and snakes.

"Mercy release is a cleansing of one's mind," said Steve Shi, a 29-year-old Buddhist who lives in Beijing. "Because all lives are equal, you need to let them live and be spared from killing."

In recent years however, animal rights and environmental groups such as the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) have raised growing concerns about the practice.

"Uninformed mercy releases are equal to murder," said Zhou Lei, an employee at one of IFAW's Beijing rescue centers.

In addition to the risk that releasing animals in public parks and reservations might pose to visitors, Zhou said that releasing animals into the wild without an adequate understanding of either the animal or the habitat they are releasing the animal into could be harmful to both.

According to international non-profit organization Humane Society International, the hundreds of millions of animals that are mercy released risk being injured, suffocated or starved in transit. They can also become easy prey upon release, or damage the ecosystem they are released into by threatening the survival of other species.

An act of compassion

Mercy releases can be made all year round, but are especially prominent during traditional Buddhist and Taoist festivals, such as the Zhongyuan Festival earlier this month.

In Beijing, popular release sites include Tanzhe Temple in Mentougou district and public reservations and parks on Beijing's outskirts, such as Fragrant Hills in Haidian district and Badachu Park in Shijingshan district. Captured animals are most often bought from shops and street markets.

Shi, a committed practitioner of the ritual, frequently purchases turtles, carp and sparrows to release in Tuanjiehu Park in Chaoyang district or at Tanzhe Temple.

"Fish [that have been released] will joyfully jump out of the water," said Shi. "They will start trying to jump out of the tanks when I walk near them at the market. They are spiritual animals."

Xian Gui, 48, a high school teacher who has been a practicing Buddhist for 20 years, said that she believes mercy releases are a positive influence on society.

"By performing the ritual, people will naturally come to respect and love Buddha. From this, they will gradually start performing other good deeds."

A commercial venture

However, both believers who practice of mercy release and conservation groups have expressed concern at the growing commercialization of the practice.

A report in the Taipei Times, citing a study conducted by the Environmental and Animal Society Taiwan, stated that the industry around mercy releases makes an annual profit of 37 million yuan ($6 million) in the region. On Taobao, China's largest online retailer, there are even services that offer to release captured animals on the buyer's behalf.

Shi said that there are vendors who catch and sell animals specifically for the purpose of being mercy released. In particular, she took issue with retailers who sold birds at temples.

"They catch the birds that people have released, and then sell them again [to be 'released']," said Shi.

A related issue, said Xian, were people who released animals into the wild only hoping that it would bring them prosperity and good luck, thus distorting the meaning of the act.