Over the past few years, some veterinary experts, forest rangers andvolunteers in Vietnam have been rescuing and caring for birds,particularly endangered species, at a national wildlife reserve.
TramChim National Park in the Mekong Delta province of Dong Thap spansseveral communes in Tam Nong district. It is home to 233 species ofwaterfowl, amounting to a total population of hundreds of thousands ofthese birds, accounting for a quarter of the entire country's birdpopulation.
Among the birds at the park, many arerare species listed in Vietnam's and the World's red books of endangeredfauna and flora.
The 7,300ha park boasts vastexpanses of lush cajuput, which have long been a haven for rarewaterfowl species such as white-winged wild ducks, spot-billed pelicans,lesser adjutant storks and, particularly, red-headed cranes.
The red-headed crane is the largest of the crane family and is on the brink of extinction worldwide.
Over the past several years, apart from efforts to prevent wildfiresand protect the cajuput forests of Tram Chim Park, particular attentionhas been paid to the conservation of the waterfowl - the park's specialresidents.
Among the forest rangers and volunteersriding a motorboat into one of the park's stretches of cajuput wasNguyen Thi Nga, a 34-year-old veterinary expert.
After half an hour of travelling across the wetlands, Nga signalled to the boat driver to turn off the engine.
She promptly grabbed an oar and gently manoeuvred the boat closer tothe observatory, which is some 20 metres tall and built from green ironpoles.
"We're at the bird breeding ground now.Please speak in whispers, or the birds may get startled," Nga, theteam's only female member, murmured before briskly climbing onto aladder leading to the top of the observatory.
Since she was a young girl, Nga, a native to the land, has cherished her dream of owning the area's largest bee farm.
She graduated from a local university's veterinary faculty, ready to turn her dream into reality.
However, after spending some time working at Tram Chim Park, she gaveup her bee dream and became a vet and nurse to the park's waterfowlswithout even noticing the change.
She also saves andplays nanny to newborn birds that fall out of their nests during stormsand acts as a trainer to fledgling ones.
Nga revealed that the 3ha breeding ground thrived robustly even though it was formed just over two years ago.
The ground is now a haven for over 10,000 nests, 60 percent of whichbelong to the Little Cormorant, scientifically termed the Phalacrocoraxniger.
The remaining nests belong to the dieng dieng (snake-necked pelican) and several other species.
The breeding season for the two species typically spans from August toNovember each year, which coincides with the peak of the rainy,flooding season.
The Little Cormorant, which is bynature careless, generally builds its nest wherever it perches,including on unstable niches. As a result, its young often fall into thewater during gusty storms.
"Helped by the forestrangers, we scoop them up and nurse them until they're strong enough tofly back to their nests," Nga said.
"Giang sen (orIndian crane, scientifically termed Mycteria leucocephala), which islisted in the Vietnam Red Book, has seen a notable rise in numbers thisyear, with the current number estimated at some 10,000 individuals," Ngasaid proudly.
Founded three years ago, Tram ChimPark's rescue and conservation team now has six members, who are taskedwith conserving waterfowls, sea creatures, mammals, amphibians andreptiles.
Nga is in charge of protecting the waterfowls and is assisted by forest rangers and volunteers.
Next to the observatory at the birds' breeding ground, rescuers haveset up a camp, where two of them remain on standby day and night.
"The on-site rescue effort is integral to our conservation work. Therescuers provide emergency care and release birds that are strong enoughto fly back to their nests on their own. Birds that are too young andfeeble for this are brought back to our centre, where they are cared foruntil they can safely rejoin their natural habitat," remarked NguyenVan Nghia, a forest ranger and one of Nga's enthusiastic volunteers, whowas on standby at the camp.
Nga and her team also take turns patrolling for sick or trapped birds and bring them back to the centre for further care.
"Some years ago, 10 percent of the park's young birds were falling totheir death every year. Since Nga's team was deployed, their hard workand devotion have remarkably reduced the young birds' fatality rate,"observed Nguyen Van Hung, the park's director.
Nguyen Hoang Minh Hai, a park official, said the park management willpropose to the provincial authorities that Nga's conservation team bedeveloped into a specialised centre under the park's authority.-VNA
TramChim National Park in the Mekong Delta province of Dong Thap spansseveral communes in Tam Nong district. It is home to 233 species ofwaterfowl, amounting to a total population of hundreds of thousands ofthese birds, accounting for a quarter of the entire country's birdpopulation.
Among the birds at the park, many arerare species listed in Vietnam's and the World's red books of endangeredfauna and flora.
The 7,300ha park boasts vastexpanses of lush cajuput, which have long been a haven for rarewaterfowl species such as white-winged wild ducks, spot-billed pelicans,lesser adjutant storks and, particularly, red-headed cranes.
The red-headed crane is the largest of the crane family and is on the brink of extinction worldwide.
Over the past several years, apart from efforts to prevent wildfiresand protect the cajuput forests of Tram Chim Park, particular attentionhas been paid to the conservation of the waterfowl - the park's specialresidents.
Among the forest rangers and volunteersriding a motorboat into one of the park's stretches of cajuput wasNguyen Thi Nga, a 34-year-old veterinary expert.
After half an hour of travelling across the wetlands, Nga signalled to the boat driver to turn off the engine.
She promptly grabbed an oar and gently manoeuvred the boat closer tothe observatory, which is some 20 metres tall and built from green ironpoles.
"We're at the bird breeding ground now.Please speak in whispers, or the birds may get startled," Nga, theteam's only female member, murmured before briskly climbing onto aladder leading to the top of the observatory.
Since she was a young girl, Nga, a native to the land, has cherished her dream of owning the area's largest bee farm.
She graduated from a local university's veterinary faculty, ready to turn her dream into reality.
However, after spending some time working at Tram Chim Park, she gaveup her bee dream and became a vet and nurse to the park's waterfowlswithout even noticing the change.
She also saves andplays nanny to newborn birds that fall out of their nests during stormsand acts as a trainer to fledgling ones.
Nga revealed that the 3ha breeding ground thrived robustly even though it was formed just over two years ago.
The ground is now a haven for over 10,000 nests, 60 percent of whichbelong to the Little Cormorant, scientifically termed the Phalacrocoraxniger.
The remaining nests belong to the dieng dieng (snake-necked pelican) and several other species.
The breeding season for the two species typically spans from August toNovember each year, which coincides with the peak of the rainy,flooding season.
The Little Cormorant, which is bynature careless, generally builds its nest wherever it perches,including on unstable niches. As a result, its young often fall into thewater during gusty storms.
"Helped by the forestrangers, we scoop them up and nurse them until they're strong enough tofly back to their nests," Nga said.
"Giang sen (orIndian crane, scientifically termed Mycteria leucocephala), which islisted in the Vietnam Red Book, has seen a notable rise in numbers thisyear, with the current number estimated at some 10,000 individuals," Ngasaid proudly.
Founded three years ago, Tram ChimPark's rescue and conservation team now has six members, who are taskedwith conserving waterfowls, sea creatures, mammals, amphibians andreptiles.
Nga is in charge of protecting the waterfowls and is assisted by forest rangers and volunteers.
Next to the observatory at the birds' breeding ground, rescuers haveset up a camp, where two of them remain on standby day and night.
"The on-site rescue effort is integral to our conservation work. Therescuers provide emergency care and release birds that are strong enoughto fly back to their nests on their own. Birds that are too young andfeeble for this are brought back to our centre, where they are cared foruntil they can safely rejoin their natural habitat," remarked NguyenVan Nghia, a forest ranger and one of Nga's enthusiastic volunteers, whowas on standby at the camp.
Nga and her team also take turns patrolling for sick or trapped birds and bring them back to the centre for further care.
"Some years ago, 10 percent of the park's young birds were falling totheir death every year. Since Nga's team was deployed, their hard workand devotion have remarkably reduced the young birds' fatality rate,"observed Nguyen Van Hung, the park's director.
Nguyen Hoang Minh Hai, a park official, said the park management willpropose to the provincial authorities that Nga's conservation team bedeveloped into a specialised centre under the park's authority.-VNA
