Vietnam’s Dong Thap prepares to welcome 6 sarus cranes from Thailand

Dong Thap Province in southern Vietnam is set to receive six sarus cranes from Thailand's Nakhon Ratchasima Zoo next month as part of a long-term conservation effort, the provincial administration confirmed on Sunday.

A delegation led by the director of Tram Chim National Park, located in Dong Thap, will travel to Thailand in the second week of April to complete final procedures for the transfer.

The cranes are currently undergoing mandatory isolation under Thai veterinary supervision at Nakhon Ratchasima Zoo in Korat Province, before being transported to Vietnam by air.

The birds will be first received by the Saigon Zoo and Botanical Gardens in downtown Ho Chi Minh City.

In the third week of April, a formal ceremony will be held to welcome the cranes to their new home at Tram Chim National Park.

A sarus crane is spotted at Tram Chim National Park in Dong Thap Province, southern Vietnam. Photo: Nguyen Van Hung / Tuoi Tre

A sarus crane is spotted at Tram Chim National Park in Dong Thap Province, southern Vietnam. Photo: Nguyen Van Hung

This transfer is part of a conservation partnership between Tram Chim National Park and the Zoological Park Organization of Thailand, formalized in a memorandum of understanding signed in August 2024.

In Vietnam, Tram Chim National Park has worked with the provincial Forest Protection Department and the Saigon Zoo and Botanical Gardens to complete all necessary paperwork to obtain CITES import permits for the endangered birds.

Dong Thap authorities have also tasked Tram Chim National Park with drafting a care and reintroduction protocol for the cranes.

The park is consulting experts and relevant agencies to finalize a temporary plan, which will be adjusted as experience is gained.

Infrastructure for the crane reintroduction area at Tram Chim National Park has been completed. Photo: Tong Doanh / Tuoi Tre

Infrastructure for the crane reintroduction area at Tram Chim National Park has been completed. Photo: Tong Doanh

This marks the first transfer under the province’s sarus crane conservation and development project at Tram Chim National Park during the 2022-32 period.

Earlier, a total of 45 sarus cranes were sighted in the core and buffer zones of the Phu My Species and Habitat Conservation Area in Kien Giang Province, southern Vietnam between March 11 and 16, with several staying overnight.

This marked a significant event, as cranes had not been observed roosting in the reserve for years.

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