Illustrative image. (Photo: Tram Chim National Park ) Dong Thap (VNA) – The Mekong Delta province of Dong Thap is working on a plan to save red-headed cranes from extinction.
Huynh Minh Tuan, Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee, has signed a document sent to the Prime Minister, seeking his approval for the import of two red-headed cranes from Laos for conservation.
The red-headed crane is a symbolic species of Tram Chim National Park. Bringing the birds to the park will contribute to preserving the endangered species, according to the committee.
The province urged the park to develop a project to preserve and develop the endangered species on the premises of the park in 2022-2023 period. It is also asked to take measures to restore the ecological environment.
Nguyen Van Lam, Director of the Tram Chim National Park, said a delegation from the province will travel to Thailand to discuss the possibility of bringing crane eggs or small red-headed cranes to the Tram Chim National Park for hatching and conservation effort.
Duong Van Ni, an expert on biodiversity in the Mekong Delta, said that it might take up to 10 years to create a herd of cranes in nature.
The Tram Chim National Park, which spans 7,500 hectares, is a designated wetland of international importance under the Ramsar Convention.
It is a haven for several rare bird species, including red-headed cranes which are classified as “endangered” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. The birds usually arrive from Cambodia in December and stay until May.
However, almost no red-headed cranes have arrived in the park in the past three years, according to the park’s management board./.
