Red-headed cranes spotted at the Tràm Chim National Park, Đồng Tháp Province. — VNA/VNS Photo

ĐỒNG THÁP — The Mekong Delta province of Đồng Tháp is working on a plan to save red-headed cranes from extinction.

Huỳnh Minh Tuấn, deputy 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 Tràm 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 the 2022-23 period. It also asked to take measures to restore the ecological environment.

Nguyễn Văn Lâm, director of the Tràm 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 Tràm Chim National Park for hatching and conservation.

Dương Văn 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 Tràm 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. — VNS