Hungry Chicken Army Deployed to Combat China’s Locust Problem
- Locusts expected to destroy area bigger than Jamaica this year
- Avian infantry to replace pesticides, protect environment
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Locusts heading to northern China for summer have been warned: thousands of hungry chickens are out to eat them.
About 2,200 chickens have been given to herdsmen in Wushi in the country’s northwest region of Xinjiang ahead of peak locust season in May, Yang Zong, an official with the local animal husbandry bureau, said on Monday. While it’s the first time the county will attempt to use chickens to control the pest, the system has been used previously in northern parts of Xinjiang and Inner Mongolia, he said.