They Have Very High Environmental Requirements! Hundreds of Globally Endangered Species Discovered in Guizhou for the First Time
For several days, over a hundred critically endangered black-crowned crane birds have been resting and foraging at the Shuangjiang Dam in Liuping Town, Lancang River, Guizhou Province.
The villagers discovered this large white-tailed bird and immediately reported it to the Libo County’s Mou Lan National Nature Reserve. After confirmation by the reserve administration, the birds that have been residing at the Shuangjiang Dam are identified as black-crowned cranes, which are listed as a low-risk species in the 2013 Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
“It was unexpected.” said Xiong Zibin, a researcher at the research department of the reserve administration. “I didn’t expect to see such a large scale migration here.”
According to information, black-crowned cranes mainly feed on grass, fish and shrimp, are large migratory birds, and their migration season starts in spring and continues until June. The Shuangjiang Dam, with an average altitude of 768 meters and an area of 1189 acres, is a well-known ecological and tourist agricultural base with industries primarily focused on grape cultivation and rice farming, and has favorable water conditions.
“It has relatively high environmental requirements. As Libo is a national key ecological functional zone, forest resources have increased significantly compared to previous years, and the rural environment has been upgraded. The masses' awareness of protecting the ecological environment has increased, which has made the agricultural dam favored by the black-crowned cranes.” said Xiong Zibin.
On November 11th, local villagers also discovered a wounded black-crowned crane, which was rescued by the village committee contacting the Dunbei City Animal Zoo director for a rescue plan. After learning that wild animals should not be excessively interfered with when injured during migration, Yang Xingding, the secretary of Shuangjiang Village, took the black-crowned crane to the edge of the paddy field and released it.
“In recent days, we have carried out publicity on the protection of wild animals in surrounding villages and towns. In the future, we will continue to strengthen publicity to enhance the awareness of the masses to protect wild animals.” said Yang Xingding.
