00:00Did you know that a leader declared war on sparrows and almost destroyed his country?
00:04In 1958, China had a problem. Pests were destroying the crops.
00:08Mao Zedong, the leader, believed that the sparrows were to blame.
00:12The sparrows were eating the grains of rice. If they were eliminated, there would be more food.
00:16So he ordered the campaign to exterminate the sparrows.
00:20Millions of Chinese people went out with rifles, sticks, and slingshots to kill sparrows.
00:24It looked like a victory, but it was a disaster.
00:26Insect infestations got out of control.
00:28Locusts ravaged the crops and China entered a brutal famine.
