Hanoi (VNA) – Only 11 sarus cranes, the tallest species of flyingbirds on earth, have been spotted this year at Tram Chim National Park in DongThap province – which used to be the top destination of the bird in the MekongDelta region.
In the 1980s, more than 1,000 sarus cranes migratedto live at the park – the fourth Ramsar site of Vietnam and the 2,000th Ramsarsite of Wetlands of International Importance in the world.
Experts attributed the decrease in thenumber of Sarus cranes at the park to forest fires which harmed the bird’sliving environment, locals hunting them and poor management of water levelsleading to a lack of food for the birds.
They recommended the provincial People’sCommittee study water management to recover the ecosystem and take the initiativein preventing fires.
Tram Chim National Park spans more than7,300 hectares in Tam Nong district. It is home to 250 species of water birds,100 species of freshwater fish and 190 species of plants.
The park has become a destination for bothdomestic and foreign tourists. In 2017, it welcomed more than 134,000 visitors,a year-on-year surge of 28.87 percent.-VNA