Groundhog found in Qinglong Lake? Recently, on the social network, many netizens published posts about encountering marmots in Qinglong Lake, Chengdu. For this "stranger", some netizens think that "it looks naive", but more netizens are worried that groundhogs carry viruses.
On May 21, the Red Star News reporter contacted the relevant department staff of Longquanyi District Agricultural and Rural Bureau in Chengdu, "(see the photo) It seems that it is Himalayan marmot, which is commonly known as the groundhog." Yuan Yong, a staff member of the Forest Resources Management Department of Longquanyi District Agricultural and Rural Bureau in Chengdu, said that groundhog is mostly distributed in high-altitude areas, "The preliminary judgment is that individual citizens illegally released or abandoned their pets."
At present, many departments have set up a working group for the prevention and disposal of marmots in Qinglong Lake, which will contact the Wildlife Conservation Department of Chengdu Park and City Construction Administration in a timely manner to jointly study the disposal measures, and will arrange professionals to the site to investigate the occurrence track, distribution area and number of suspected marmots, jointly study the scientific disposal plan, and properly dispose according to laws and regulations.
Experts remind that the Himalayan marmot (commonly known as marmot) is one of the main hosts of plague transmission. Please don't touch marmots closely, let alone catch, feed or peel them.
▲ The reporter visited the place where the groundhog was found by the cleaning staff of Qinglong Lake Many netizens said that groundhog was found in Qinglong Lake
I've been digging grass
Groundhog appears in Qinglong Lake? On May 21, the Red Star News reporter contacted one of the netizens, Mr. Zhang. Mr. Zhang revealed that when he was riding in Qinglong Lake at 10:00 a.m. on May 18, he saw a groundhog in the grass. "It didn't respond much to us. After standing up and observing for a while, it went back to digging grass with a big bundle of grass in its mouth. Is it going to go back to making a nest?"
Mr. Zhang revealed that he saw only one marmot, hoping to remind the general public not to be too close to the marmot. "After all, there is a risk of plague." In the video shot by Mr. Zhang, a brown marmot is flexible and seems to be digging a hole.
▲ Photos of groundhog in Qinglong Lake taken by citizen Mr. Zhang Many netizens also responded to the discovery of marmots in Qinglong Lake, and one of the posts attracted more than 200 comments. "We also saw it on Friday. It has been grazing there all the time." "Be careful if you are bitten. There may be plague."
On May 21, the Red Star News reporter contacted the Qinglong Lake tourist hotline, and the staff said that they had paid attention to the online situation and were patrolling the park these days to find the marmot. A cleaning worker of Qinglong Lake told Red Star News that marmots were found near a public toilet recently, and "occasionally tourists feed them".
District Agriculture and Rural Affairs Bureau:
It is speculated to be illegal release or abandonment of pets, and remind not to have intimate contact
On May 21, the Red Star News reporter contacted the relevant department staff of Longquanyi District Agricultural and Rural Bureau in Chengdu.
According to the photos provided by netizens, "(Look at the photo) It seems to be Himalayan marmot, which is commonly known as groundhog." Yuan Yong, a staff member of the Forest Resources Management Section of the Agriculture and Rural Affairs Bureau of Longquanyi District, Chengdu, said that groundhog are mostly distributed in high-altitude areas, "Chengdu should not have groundhog, and it is preliminarily judged that individual citizens illegally released or abandoned pets."
Yuan Yong introduced that in the afternoon of May 20, the Bureau of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of Longquanyi District, Chengdu received the relevant information, and the Bureau of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of Longquanyi District, Chengdu, together with Shiling Street, Longquanyi District, Qinglong Lake Management Company and other units, established the Qinglong Lake Groundhog Prevention and Disposal Working Group.
Next, professionals will be arranged to investigate and verify the specific species and wildlife level of the suspected groundhog species. At the same time, a special team will be arranged to investigate and verify the occurrence track, distribution area and number of marmots. For suspected marmots, a scientific disposal plan will be jointly studied and properly disposed according to laws and regulations.
"Groundhog is an alien invasive species, which will damage the ecological environment of Qinglong Lake, especially the vegetation and soil." Yuan Yong revealed that in the later stage, he would remind the public to take precautions by erecting warning signs and other means, "Do not approach suspected species of groundhog, do not have close contact with them, and do not feed food."
Provincial Disease Control once issued a document saying:
Groundhog is one of the main hosts of plague transmission
In fact, the groundhog is not as naive as it seems. On November 12, 2019, a hospital in Beijing confirmed two cases of plague patients. Plague is mainly caused by fleas that infect plague on the animal's body surface. During the process of biting and stripping, the plague is caused by hand wounds or inhalation of droplets. So if you keep away from the host animals, you will keep away from the plague.
Previously, the Sichuan Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention had issued a document stating that "Himalayan marmot (commonly known as marmot) is one of the main hosts of plague transmission. The strain carried by marmot is the most virulent strain and the most likely to cause death among the strains found in our country."
The Sichuan Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention pointed out that "marmots are distributed in the northwest plateau of Sichuan Province. Although not all places where marmots exist have plague, for everyone's health, family safety, and social stability, please do not touch marmots closely, let alone catch, feed, or peel them."
Red Star News Reporter Yan Xue Pictures from the Internet
Edited by Chen Yixi
