A practice based on Buddhism where releasing animals held in captivity to accrue merit for oneself has created an entire industry in China which has implications for animal cruelty and ecosystem viability. Blindly freeing animals can destroy biological chains and disturb local routines, the news site Legaldaily.com has commented.
A video on Sina Weibo, China’s equivalent to Twitter, showing that someone releasing a cobra into a park in Hunan Province, sparked widespread panic. Now the person who released the venomous cobra has been detained. ���
According to the 2016 revised Wildlife Protection Law, any organization or individual who wants to free animals cannot cause harm other people’s lives or impact the ecosystem; if personal rights and interests are infringed and the ecosystem is destroyed, they would be held accountable.
The same news article also noted that some cases of release could be acceptable, but species that break the original ecological equilibrium should not be released.
The news report also suggested that law enforcement departments play a crucial role in educating and guiding people how to properly free animals and what kind of animals could be released.
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