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| Sarus cranes are cared for at the conservation facility of the Tram Chim National Park in Dong Thap province. (Photo: VNA) |
Bangkok (VNA) – Vietnam's Mekong Delta province of Dong Thap has received six sarus cranes from Thailand as part of the countries’ conservation cooperation programme.
The transfer, held at Nakhon Ratchasima Zoo in Thailand’s Nakhon Ratchasima province on June 22, marks the second phase of the sarus crane conservation and development project at the Tram Chim National Park in Dong Thap for the 2022–2032 period.
Speaking at the ceremony, Vietnamese Ambassador to Thailand Pham Viet Hung highly valued the care for and management of the cranes transferred during the first phase. He emphasised that Thailand’s continued transfer of sarus cranes to Vietnam carries significance not only for wildlife protection but also for bilateral friendship and collaboration in biodiversity conservation.
The ambassador thanked the Thai side for supporting Vietnam in implementing the conservation programme for this rare bird species.
According to him, during a recent official visit to Vietnam, senior Thai leaders agreed with the country’s proposal to continue supporting crane transfers to serve biodiversity conservation and sustainable development objectives. The two sides are currently coordinating to complete the necessary procedures to push ahead with this initiative in the near future.
The latest transfer consists of two males and four females weighing between 5.3kg and 6.7kg. They will be transported from Nakhon Ratchasima Zoo to Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok on June 23, before being flown to Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City and carried by specialised vehicles to the Tram Chim National Park on the same day.
To ensure the birds’ safety during transportation and adaptation to their new habitat, Thailand deploys four experts to accompany and monitor the cranes’ health throughout the journey and during the initial stage in Vietnam.
Speaking virtually from Dong Thap, Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Nguyen Phuoc Thien, who also heads the project’s executive board, expressed appreciation for the support provided by the Thai Government and conservation organisations, and invited Ambassador Hung and Thai partners to visit Dong Thap and observe the care and conservation process at the Tram Chim National Park.
Previously, five cranes were transferred to Tram Chim in April 2025, and they have remained healthy and adapted well to local climate conditions, habitat and food sources. The birds have since formed breeding pairs and are expected to reproduce in the near future.
Under the project, Dong Thap aims to receive, raise and gradually reintroduce 100 sarus cranes into the wild between 2022 and 2032, including 60 birds transferred from Thailand. The province expects at least half of those released to survive, reproduce and establish a sustainable wild population./.
