A cemetery in Beijing has erected a monument to animals which have gone extinct, and those at risk of extinction.
The World Extinct Wildlife Cemetery in Nanhaizi Milu Park in the city's Daxing district was established in 1999 by Guo Geng.
"Dead relatives and ancestors should not be the only ones honored on Tomb Sweeping Day. The animals also deserve to be remembered because they are our friends," Guo told China Daily.
The cemetery, built along a kilometer-long road, consists of 100 tombstones arranged like dominos. Carved on the stones are animals' names and dates of extinction - a Jamaican rice rat in 1880 and passenger pigeon in 1914, for example.
Some of the tombstones are engraved with the names of endangered animals. Human beings are included here.
Guo said the domino-style arrangement illustrates how the extinction of one animal may endanger several other related species. The place is also designed to enhance public awareness of the need to protect wildlife and ecology.
No animals are actually buried under the stones, but under Guo's guidance, many visitors, especially students and animal protectors, like to visit the wildlife cemetery during the tomb-sweeping holiday, which falls on Saturday this year.
The idea of commemorating extinct animals came to Guo about 15 years ago, when he was a keeper of chimpanzees at the Beijing Breeding Center for Endangered Animals. At that time, many visitors were curious about 24 empty animal rooms in the center, and they frequently asked what the space was used for.
"That made me think whether I could use the rooms in a new way," Guo said.
"I hit upon the idea of establishing rooms for extinct animals," he said. "Since extinction means the last member of a species is gone, the empty rooms seemed the most appropriate way of expressing that."
Animal protection is gaining traction in China, Beijing Zoo and Animals Asia recently teamed up to launch the 'Not Born to Perform' campaign against animal shows.
[Image via China Daily]
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