Red-crowned cranes will be brought from Thailand to Tram Chim in December.

Dong Thap province will bring a pair of male and female cranes from Thailand to Tram Chim National Park in early December to preserve and restore this rare bird species.

On the evening of November 14, Mr. Nguyen Phuoc Thien, Vice Chairman of Dong Thap People's Committee, said that the procedures to bring the cranes back to Vietnam were basically completed. The province is planning to transport the cranes in a way that ensures their health with the help of Thai experts. "The cranes could be 6 months old or mature, depending on the foreign experts," he said.

The introduction of red-crowned cranes from Thailand to Vietnam is part of a project to conserve this rare bird species, which has been promoted by Dong Thap province for over a year. The cranes will be raised and released into the wild at Tram Chim National Park. According to the plan, within 10 years the province will raise and release 100 cranes into the wild, with a total cost of up to 185 billion VND.

Crane cages in Tram Chim National Park, Dong Thap province. Photo: Tran Thanh — Crane cages in Tram Chim National Park. Photo: *Tran Thanh*

Currently, Tram Chim National Park has completed its infrastructure, including a cage as large as a mini football field and surrounding landscapes, located in subdivision A3. The direct caretakers have completed training in other countries. Initially, foreign experts will come to Vietnam to transfer care techniques, training, and necessary conditions for the cranes to integrate into the new environment.

After the restoration period, the crane breeding area will allow visitors to visit and learn about the growth process for the purpose of environmental education.

According to the plan, Dong Thap will build an ecological rice area, ready to release the cranes after a period of captivity. The fields need to ensure biodiversity conditions to help the cranes catch prey, live and move towards natural reproduction. Initially, the ecological rice area is planned to be about 100 hectares.

Tram Chim National Park, covering 7,500 hectares, was recognized as Vietnam’s fourth Ramsar site. There are many rare bird species, especially red-crowned cranes that fly here from Cambodia to find food, staying there from December to April of the following year before leaving. In the 1990s, the park recorded a large flock of cranes, sometimes up to a thousand, but they have become increasingly rare, with some years when the birds did not return at all.

Red-crowned cranes at Tram Chim National Park. Photo: Nguyen Van Hung — Red-crowned cranes at Tram Chim National Park. Photo: *Nguyen Van Hung*

The Sarus Crane is distinguished by its red, featherless head and neck, grey stripes on the wings and tail. Adults are 1.5-1.8 m tall, have a wingspan of 2.2-2.5 m, and weigh 8-10 kg. Three-year-old cranes pair up to breed and spend a year raising their young before the next brood is born.

According to the International Crane Association, there are an estimated 15,000-20,000 red-crowned cranes in the world, of which 8,000-10,000 are distributed in India, Nepal, and Pakistan. In Indochina (mainly Vietnam and Cambodia), since 2014, about 850 red-crowned cranes were recorded, but by 2014 there were 234, and now there are about 160.

Ngoc Tai

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