Freeing caged animals can harm environment, senior official warns

China will draft regulations to further prevent people from buying caged animals and setting them free without permission, said a senior official from China's wildlife watchdog.

Yan Xun, chief engineer at the Department of Wildlife Conservation and Nature Reserve Management under the State Forestry Administration, said many people, some of them religious believers, feel that it is morally right to set free caged animals.

"Many places in China, such as Handan, Hebei province, have underground industries that derive huge profits from people's goodwill," said Yan.