Rare Cranes in Danger in Flood-Stricken Chinese Region

Rare Siberian cranes that winter in a nature reserve in central China face a severe food shortage because of the summer’s disastrous floods, a Chinese newspaper reported Saturday.

About 3,000 Siberian cranes, 98% of the world population of the rare birds, spend the winter near Poyang Lake in Jiangxi province in southeastern China.

As a result of heavy flooding from the Yangtze River during the summer, water plants that are important food for the cranes are not growing well, the China Daily reported.

Eelgrass is now growing in only one of the nine small lakes that make up the Poyang Lake Nature Reserve, the paper quoted reserve official Ji Weitao as saying.

Ji said he was worried that the cranes will not have enough food in winter and early spring. If they moved, the cranes would not be so well protected.

Farmers in the flood-stricken region have resorted to hunting the cranes for trade and food, the report said.

Loan and job-retraining programs for farmers launching habitat-friendly enterprises have been sponsored by the International Crane Foundation in other regions, Ji said, adding that he hoped the programs will be extended to the Poyang reserve.

In Guizhou province, farmers have been given small loans to help them start businesses that do not damage the habitat of the region’s black-necked cranes.