Expected red-crowned cranes will stay to breed in Dong Thap rice fields

The first pair of cranes is expected to arrive in Vietnam in April. Dong Thap province hopes that by 2032 there will be 50 cranes living year-round in the Tram Chim area.

Regarding the project to conserve red-crowned cranes worth nearly VND185 billion, Mr. Pham Thien Nghia, Chairman of the People's Committee of Dong Thap province, said that the first pair of cranes will arrive at Tram Chim National Park in April this year. Previously, Dong Thap planned to bring the first pair of cranes from Thailand to Vietnam in 2023, but it was not possible. The People's Committee of Dong Thap province said that the transfer of cranes must go through many stages, diplomatic procedures and technical requirements.

Habitat in Tram Chim is being renovated to welcome cranes to reside (Photo: Nguyen Cuong).

The agency also said that Thai people consider cranes a national treasure, so the transfer is not considered a sale. In addition to receiving a symbolic fee, the Thai zoo will select two animals in Vietnam to exchange as part of the conditions for the crane transfer. The Chairman of the Dong Thap Provincial People's Committee said that Tram Chim National Park will raise red-crowned cranes according to a community breeding model. The cranes will no longer migrate but will only stay in Tram Chim and surrounding areas, breeding in people's ecological rice fields. The red-crowned crane conservation project was approved by the Dong Thap Provincial People's Committee, with a term of 10 years, ending in 2032. Of the total project budget of nearly 185 billion VND, 56 billion VND will be used to transfer and raise cranes. The remaining money will be spent on habitat restoration, building a sustainable agricultural model and related costs. It is expected that within 10 years, 60 cranes will be transferred by Thailand. Also during this time, the cranes will breed more in Tram Chim, expecting at least 50 to adapt well and live year-round in the natural environment of the area. Dong Thap province also hopes that when the habitat recovers, wild cranes will return to Tram Chim. Talking to Dan Tri reporter, the technical officer in charge of Tram Chim National Park said that the red-crowned crane has a prominent feature: its head, neck and legs are red, with stripes on its wings and a steel-gray tail. Adult cranes are up to 1.8m tall, have a wingspan of up to 2.5m, and weigh up to 10kg, making them the tallest flying birds. Cranes start breeding at 3 years old, however, cranes have never bred in Tram Chim before. Cranes only return to Tram Chim to feed during the dry season, and their favorite foods are tubers, snails, crabs, fish, etc.

Technical staff at Tram Chim are explaining about the cage house serving crane conservation (Photo: Nguyen Cuong).

"The crane is the most special species in Tram Chim, very intelligent. The crane's cry is also very loud, it can be heard more than 5km from the center to the edge of the forest," said the officer. Tram Chim National Park is about 7,500 hectares wide, a typical primitive habitat of the Dong Thap Muoi region. The park has about 130 plant species with prominent community types being flooded grasslands and cajuput forests. The park is home to 232 bird species, including 32 rare species, 16 species listed in the international red book. Tram Chim also has 130 species of fish, hundreds of species of plankton, reptiles, amphibians. In the past, thousands of red-crowned cranes came to Tram Chim to feed seasonally. However, due to changes in habitat, water levels in the reserve, intensive farming, and chemical abuse in surrounding fields, cranes have not returned to Tram Chim since 2022. According to the crane conservation project, the water level in the national park has been lowered, and reed grass fields have been renovated and restored for the cranes to forage. Large-scale cages have also been built to be ready to receive the cranes. Staff have been sent to Thailand to study and receive crane care techniques. In addition, more than 1,000 hectares of rice around Tram Chim will be grown organically to improve environmental quality and create space for the cranes to nest and breed. This area will be where visitors can see the cranes with their own eyes./.

dantri.com.vn

Source