What a "penalty"! The anchor was suspected of picking a national second protected plant, and the police intervened

"The Qinghai-Tibet snow lotus is picked in its original ecological environment at an altitude of more than 5,000 meters..."

In the video, a male anchor wearing gloves pulled a plant out of a rock crevice by its roots and showed it to the camera.

On August 11, a netizen posted on Weibo that the anchor with the ID "Siberian Wolf" was suspected of picking the "Jellyfish Snow Rabbit", a national second-level protected plant.

On the same day, the official Weibo account of the Qinghai Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism commented that the information had been forwarded to the relevant departments for processing. Subsequently, the whistleblower also posted a message saying that the police had intervened in the investigation. Currently, the anchor's account has been banned.

According to the website of the State Forestry and Grassland Administration, the "Jellyfish Snow Rabbit" was selected on September 7, 2021.

Netizen: This is really a punishment.

Jellyfish Snow Rabbit is not Snow Lotus

The jellyfish snow rabbit is a plant of the genus Saussurea in the Asteraceae family, and is a close relative of the true snow lotus (the true snow lotus Saussurea involucrata comes from another subgenus of the genus Saussurea - the subgenus Saussurea). Most of them grow on gravel beaches above 4,500 meters above sea level, where it is cold, windy, and has strong ultraviolet rays. The frost period lasts for 8 to 10 months each year. Therefore, the jellyfish snow rabbit grows and blooms very slowly, and it has to absorb nutrients for many years before it has a chance to bloom and bear fruit. When the seeds mature and the jellyfish snow rabbit completes its reproduction mission, it will die. "Because of the scarcity of numbers, we are reluctant to even collect specimens during scientific expeditions." This is what Gu Lei, a doctor of botany, commented.

As plants from the plateau, the jellyfish snow rabbit and the snow lotus "look a bit similar". In martial arts novels, the "Tianshan snow lotus" has the magical effect of curing all diseases, while in real life, the jellyfish snow rabbit is often used as a substitute for the snow lotus and is snapped up by people who are curious about it. In fact, whether it is snow lotus or jellyfish snow rabbit, not only is the medicinal value extremely limited, but it is also toxic and not suitable for long-term use.

Jellyfish snow rabbits have been "poisoned" many times

This is not the first time that jellyfish snow rabbits have been "harmed" by internet celebrities and bloggers. In August 2019, food blogger "Wild Food Brother" released a video titled " What would jellyfish snow lotus instant noodles taste like at an altitude of 4,500 meters? " In the video, the blogger climbed up the alpine rocky beach at an altitude of "4,500 meters" with a backpack, picked endangered plants jellyfish snow rabbits, and used them to cook instant noodles. After arousing doubts from netizens, the blogger issued an apology statement and deleted the video.

(Image source: The Paper)

In September 2020, in the variety show "Extreme Challenge", many guests went to the plateau to pick snow lotus. Some netizens pointed out that the "snow lotus" they picked was the national second-level rare plant jellyfish snow rabbit.

Subsequently, the program team issued an apology statement saying that no actual picking of rare plants occurred, but the program produced certain negative impacts after it was broadcast and failed to play a role in promoting the regulations on the protection of rare plants.

First there was the internet celebrity "Tizi" grilling great white shark, and then there was the "Siberian Wolf" picking snow rabbits. As outdoor anchors, they should understand the fragility of the plateau ecology and should maintain awe for nature instead of destroying it at will and without scruples.

Protecting the natural ecology should be everyone's basic common sense. Someone asked, "How to avoid picking nationally protected plants?" A plant blogger replied: "Don't pick any wild plants."

Source: CCTV.com