Beijing Park’s Holiday Caterpillar Hunt Targets ‘Forest Food Monster’
BEIJING (Reuters) — For most families, China’s “Golden Week” holiday was a time to relax, eat well, and visit the country’s tourist hot spots. But at a wildlife park in Beijing, some people spent their holiday hunting for fall webworm larvae, an invasive species of caterpillar the park has dubbed “the forest food monster.”
During China’s “Golden Week” holiday, a wildlife park in Beijing turned a pest control mission into a fun family activity. At the Beijing Wildlife Park, visitors were challenged to catch fall webworm larvae, an invasive species known as the “forest food monster.” The park offered prizes, including up to 10 park tickets, for those who collected the most larvae.
Fall webworms, native to North America, pose a threat to over 300 plant species, including agricultural crops and fruit trees. As part of the park’s conservation efforts, participants were given a briefing on identifying the larvae and equipped with gloves, containers, and chopsticks. A promotional poster declared, “Call for warriors! Battle the ‘forest food monster’ and win grand prizes!”
Since the competition launched on September 28, more than 310,000 caterpillars weighing a combined 47.65 kilograms have been collected by 2,077 participants. The fall webworm undergoes three generations annually, and this year’s third generation has caused significant damage, according to a report by China’s Xinhua news agency.
A participant, identified as Cui, expressed appreciation for the activity, noting that it engaged children and offered a chance to win prizes.
Written by urgent.news from The Japan News by The Yomiuri Shimbun's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
