Beijing No 4 Intermediate People’s Court said on Thursday that it concluded 77 cases of smuggling (走私) precious animal products from the beginning of 2015 to June this year, with about 40 percent of defendants (被告) given prison terms of three or more years. The products were found to be frequently made of body parts of some endangered wild animals such as elephants, turtles, bears and wolves, Wang Jing, vice-president of the court, told a news conference.

“Most of the defendants were migrant workers, students and tourists coming back to China, “Wang said. “Some aimed to sell the products for profits or send to friends and family members as gifts, while they wanted to use them to help with diseases.”

Wang explained that some of the defendants received heavier penalties (惩罚), such as a long-term imprisonment and a high fine, because the animal parts they smuggled were from animals listed on the national key protection of wildlife or related to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). For example, a defendant surnamed Yan was sentenced to 10 years in prison, along with 200,000 yuan ($27, 968) in fines, for smuggling 393 fish bladder products, the court said. Yan was caught while arriving at the Beijing Capital International Airport from Mexico on March 21, 2018, and the suspected products were discovered by the customs staff members in Yan’s luggage. The products were later identified as being made of drum fish in Gulf of California, and the fish is listed on the CITES, the court said, adding that the products were worth of about 2.51 million yuan ($351,000).

To effectively fight the crime, the court has issued a guideline on the smuggling of precious animal products to help judges accurately apply laws and unify (统一) the standards of relevant case hearings.

On Thursday, the court also disclosed four other smuggling cases, showing its determination and effort to protect precious animals by rule of law.

Have you ever taken a look at a few lovely chickens and desired to touch and kiss them? Apparently, for some people the urge is hard to resist. However, according to an updated warning by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) doing so could spread dangerous—maybe even life-treatening-Salmonella. So, no matter how irresistible those little feathered birds may seem, avoid giving them a kiss.

This isn’t the first time the CDC has warned against physically touching or kissing your poultry. Back in 2018 Halloween, they advised against dressing the birds up for fear of spreading Salmonella. Then again, in May this year, with 474 cases reported, another warning was issued. According to interviews with 271 of those affected, 77 percent had been in contact with poultry before getting sick.

“Backyard poultry, like chickens and ducks, can carry Salmonella bacteria even if they look healthy and clean,” writes the CDC. These bacteria can easily spread to anything in the areas where the poultry live. You can get sick from touching your poultry or anything in their environment and then touching your mouth or food, and swallowing Salmonella bacteria.

Most people who come into contact with the Salmonella bacteria will experience diarrhea (腹泻), fever, and stomach cramp. Children are particularly affected—one in three sick people are below the age of five, which is intelligible given their weaker immune systems and natural love for the birds.

The CDC recommends that parents shouldn't let little children touch chicks, ducks, or other backyard poultry and make sure that if they do, they should wash their hands thoroughly afterward. Likewise, adults are instructed to do the same after touching backyard poultry and their eggs should be cleaned, stored, and cooked correctly to avoid the infection of Salmonella.

This might be easier said than done—for many people, backyard chickens are beloved—but if you really love them, stop physical displays of affection in case you end up with Salmonella bacteria on your face. It turns out to be a bit of harm.