Nanyang sets wild herons free

The city of Nanyang, Henan province, has set 24 herons (Ardea cinerea) free on July 3, after taking good care of the wild animals.

Having been saved from a smuggling business by the wild flora and fauna station of the Nanyang Forestry Administration about two months before, these animals were cured and fed by the Nanyang Zoo.

Herons are common in China's wetlands and bogs, and are also under the protection of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. The State Forestry Administration of China listed the heron as a land animal with important economic and scientific values in 2008.

Herons are set free in Nanyang, Henan province, on July 3. [Photo/Xinhua]

A heron flies over trees. [Photo/Xinhua]

Herons are common in wetlands and bogs in China and under the protection of the International Union for Conservation of Nature. [Photo/Xinhua]