Guarding the 'Migratory Bird Station' and Building a Strong Biosafety Barrier
During the migration season, Qinhuangdao's unique geographical location and ecological environment always welcome a group of special "visitors" - tens of thousands of migratory birds stop here to forage and rest. This coastal wetland, composed of mudflat, shallow water and reed marshes, is a key station on the migration route from Siberia to Australia, where about 2 million migratory birds transit every year.
The morning mist has not dissipated yet. Qian Yunkai, the head of the Wild Bird Disease Monitoring Laboratory at Qinhuangdao Customs Technical Center, has led a team carrying a toolbox to the wetland monitoring point to start sampling and recording. In the past, we mainly conducted testing for the containment and rescue of birds, but now we are taking the initiative to carry out systematic monitoring in high-risk periods and key areas, "he explained while sorting out sampling tools." Wetlands are the core habitats for migratory birds and potential channels for disease transmission. Only by putting monitoring in advance can we guard the first line of defense for biosecurity at the national border
In recent years, relying on the "Qinhuangdao Key Laboratory of Wildlife Bird Disease Monitoring Biosafety" and the "Wildlife Biosafety Risk Monitoring Station", Qinhuangdao Customs Technical Center has set up 11 fixed monitoring points and multiple sentinel animal stations, covering key areas such as Beidaihe Wetland, Luanhekou, and Shanhaiguan Shihe South Island. By using multiple methods such as live sampling, fecal testing, and environmental sampling, a comprehensive and dynamically responsive wild bird monitoring network is constructed to achieve early detection and early warning of diseases and epidemics. Since August 2022, targeted sampling has been carried out on the "three haves" protected birds such as grey starling and small bunting, with a total of more than 2600 individuals and over 5000 samples collected. Over 1000 pathogen tests have been completed, and more than 10 positive samples have been detected and traced for analysis, providing scientific support for disease transmission risk warning.
Based on previous monitoring data, in 2025, waterfowl represented by gulls will be further targeted for monitoring.
In addition to disease monitoring, the customs team has also collaborated with multiple forces such as Qinhuangdao Forestry Bureau, Bird Rescue Station, and Bird Watching Association to jointly build a wild animal biological background database and sample bank. Currently, more than 20000 samples of bird feathers, tissues, blood, and other types have been collected and stored, serving both disease tracing and providing valuable resources for wetland biodiversity research.
To break through the limitations of traditional monitoring relying on bioinformatics speculation, Qian Yunkai led a team to conduct the first satellite positioning research on nocturnal birds such as the long eared owl internationally, and fully mapped their migration routes. This one-year "bird chasing plan" has shifted the origin of the disease from "probability speculation" to "precise positioning". At present, the team has equipped more than 30 rescue birds such as red crowned cranes and long eared owls with positioning devices, built a "trajectory+pathogen" dual database, and provided core support for the full chain traceability of cross-border diseases. (Zhang Xinru/Text)