'Earrings' help to foil cattle rustlers

Tagging animals and stepping up police operations are preventing thefts in one rural community

Farmer Wang Mingfu noticed his ox was missing when he woke on a chilly October morning in his village in Pu'an county, Guizhou province.

Wang and the animal live close together in the farm compound, and checking its enclosure is part of his morning routine. Worth 10,000 yuan ($1,422), the animal is a prized farm asset.