The Dong Thap People’s Committee in southern Vietnam signed a cooperation agreement with the International Crane Foundation and the Vietnam Zoos Association on Saturday to revive red-crowned crane flocks at the Tram Chim National Park in the Mekong Delta province.

The Tram Chim National Park in Dong Thap Province has been one of the destinations for red-crowned cranes, an endangered bird species listed in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)’s Red List of Threatened Species, to forage for food over the past more than three decades.

However, the number of red-crowned cranes descending on the park is seen declining every year.

In 2021, a mere three cranes returned to the park, while no cranes perched at the province’s park last year.

Under the deal, the Dong Thap People’s Committee will manage and finance the crane recovery program at the Tram Chim National Park.

Meanwhile, the International Crane Foundation and the Vietnam Zoos Association will provide consultation services and offer training courses to crane keepers.

The Zoological Park Organization of Thailand will provide the Tram Chim National Park with red-crowned baby cranes each year, apart from training employees at the park to take care of cranes and recover the habitat of the red-crowned cranes.

During the five-year life of the agreement, experts will help Dong Thap Province implement a red-crowned crane recovery program.

Nguyen Phuoc Thien, vice-chairman of the provincial People’s Committee, said that the province’s tourism development plan factors in the crane recovery program, moving toward restoring the ecosystem at the Tram Chim National Park.

A census taken in Cambodia and Vietnam in 2022 showed that the number of red-crowned cranes fell to fewer than 160.

The Zoological Park Organization of Thailand has successfully raised and released over 150 red-crowned cranes into nature over the past four years.

Like us on Facebook or  follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!