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China Scene: Fox army hunt down rats in Ningxia

(China Daily)
Updated: 2010-09-14 14:17

Fox army proves too good for grass-gnawing enemy

Authorities in the Ningxia Hui autonomous region have trained an army of foxes to hunt down rats that are destroying pastureland and forests.

"More than 50 foxes have been released in 500,000 hectares of pastureland in Yanchi county since 2008," said Ma Jianjun, an official in charge of pastureland management in Yinchuan, the regional capital.

Ma said the foxes have helped curb the rat population in Yanchi.

Ningxia was the first Chinese region to use a fox army to keep rats at bay. It has a training base at a nature reserve in Yunwu Mountain where captive-bred foxes are trained to prey on rats in the wild.

(Xinhua news agency)

Man pushes wife, son to safety as bus crushes him

A man pushed his wife and 2-year-old son out of harm's way seconds before an out-of-control bus ran into him and four other pedestrians in Liupanshui, Guizhou province, last Wednesday.

The man, surnamed Zheng, succumbed to injuries in a hospital. The four other pedestrians injured in the crash are now out of danger.

Subsequent investigations revealed the brakes of the bus had failed.

(Guizhou City News)

24-year-old pedals from Lhasa to Kathmandu for fun

A 24-year-old adventurous woman braved torrential rains and blizzards to cycle more than 1,000 km from Lhasa, capital of the Tibet autonomous region, to Kathmandu, capital of Nepal.

The woman, an accountant from Quzhou, Zhejiang province, who did not want to be named, arrived in Lhasa by train last month.

She pedaled at nearly 4,000 meters above sea level for 12 days before reaching Kathmandu.

The woman said the only reason she undertook the rather treacherous journey was to "experience nature in all its glory".

(Qianjiang Evening News)

Elephant tramples over 20 years of love and care

A zookeeper was crushed by an elephant he had taken care of for more than two decades in Changchun, Jilin province, on Friday.

Zhao Jidong, 46, who worked at the Changchun Zoological and Botanical Park, was like an elder brother to Angya, the 27-year-old elephant, according to zoo workers, who were still in a state of shock.

Zhao and the elephant were sent to other regions to put up shows this summer while the park was under construction.

They were on their way home on Friday when Angya trampled Zhao.

The police have stepped in and launched an investigation.

(Xinhua News Agency)

Pregnant woman, fetus survive fall from third floor

A five months pregnant woman and her fetus miraculously survived after she jumped from the third floor of a blazing building in Changchun, Jilin province, last week.

Sun Yanqing, 20, a migrant worker, jumped out of a window in the corridor of the building with her 23-year-old husband in a bid to escape the fire.

The couple burst into tears of joy when doctors at a nearby hospital told them the fetus was still healthy.

(City Evening News)

18-year-old axes cousin, his family; victims critical

An 18-year-old man surrendered to the police in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, last Monday after admittedly attacking his cousin's family, including a 2-year-old boy, with an axe.

It took doctors eight hours to remove the axe from the cousin's forehead. Doctors said there was a big chance he would never be able to lead a normal life.

The wife and the 2-year-old boy are receiving treatment for multiple wounds.

The accused, surnamed Wu, who came to Guangzhou in search of work, said he committed the crime after he couldn't bare the constant insults from his cousin for being jobless.

(New Express Daily)

91 students spurn school to avoid bumping into goons

Nearly 100 students of a junior high school in Xinfeng county, Guangdong province, haven't gone to school since the new semester kicked off for fear of a couple of goons who are trying to force them to join their gang.

A 16-year-old student of the Xinfeng No 2 Middle School was allegedly wounded with a sharp object after he refused to partner the two suspects in their illegal activities.

Another student claimed he was beaten up and 13 others alleged they were threatened for the same reason.

After the news spread, a total of 91 students have spurned school since the new semester opened on Sept 1, even though school authorities have beefed up security.

The police have launched a hunt for the two suspects, one of whom is 15 years old.

(Nanfang Daily)

Homeowner returns to find neighbor sleeping on couch

A resident of Weifang, Shandong province, entered his new apartment a year after he purchased it only to find his neighbor snoring on the couch.

It turned out, Zhou's neighbor, Liu, mistook the apartment for his own, furnished it and had been living in it for almost a year.

Liu's apartment is on the floor below Zhou's.

Liu has agreed to compensate Zhou for the mistake.

(Qilu Evening News)

Passerby clicks injured lady before lending hand for help

A passerby carried an old woman injured in a road accident to a hospital in Taixing, Jiangsu province, but only after he took a photograph to prove he had nothing to do with the crash.

The man, surnamed Li, was driving by when he saw an old woman lying unconscious on the road. He was later told a truck knocked her down.

Though a crowd had gathered around, no one seemed interested in taking the woman to the hospital.

Li quickly took a snap of the accident scene and drove the injured woman to a nearby hospital.

Li said he distinctly remembers a recent case wherein a Nanjing resident was held responsible for an accident even though he had only taken the injured to the hospital.

(Yangtze Evening News)

Two jailed for 'chatting' victim into giving them $190,000

A court in Zhangjiagang, Jiangsu province, recently sentenced two men who duped a local businessman of a whopping 1.3 million yuan ($190,000) by pretending to be his friend in dire need of cash.

The two men acquired the instant messaging chat ID and password of one of the victim's friends using the Trojan software. They then contacted the businessman on chat and convinced him to transfer the amount to a bank account.

The court sentenced one of them to 12 years in prison while the other to 11 and a half, with fines of 20,000 yuan each.

(Yangtze Evening News)

Angry at parents' divorce, girl hammers stranger's BMW

A 16-year-old girl who was upset at her parents' divorce took her anger out on a stranger's BMW parked outside a mall in Xiangtan, Hunan province, on Monday.

The owner of the luxury SUV dumped his shopping bags and sprinted to his car when he saw a girl banging on his vehicle with a hammer.

By the time he got to his car, it had already suffered major damage.

Returning to her senses, the girl apologized for her behavior and phoned her father, who eventually had to pay 30,000 yuan ($4,420) for the vehicular damage.

The girl, who has been living with her father since the divorce, said she can't stand the fact her parents aren't together anymore, and sometimes blows her fuse.

(Xiangtan Evening News)

(China Daily 09/14/2010 page7)