BIRDS OF PREY A FRESH CHALLENGE FOR BEIJING

Public awareness, rescue efforts increase as number of raptors grows

Not long after sunrise, a group of crows encircled a Northern eagle owl that had been hovering for a lengthy period over Houhai Lake in downtown Beijing.

The exhausted eagle owl eventually dropped into the water. The bird flapped its wings and struggled to stay afloat as it tried to protect itself from the crows that appeared ready to attack.

A passerby, who had gone to the lake for breakfast, noticed the distressed eagle owl's predicament.