Shepherd Rescues a Gray Crane at the Source of the Lancang River

Shepherd rescues a gray crane at the source of the Lancang RiverOn June 16, reporters learned from the Zhaqu County of Qaidam Prefecture, Qinghai Province, that local pastoral ecological guardians recently rescued a gray crane. Relevant experts said it was likely a lost lone crane. Zhaqu County Qingzhen Township ecological guardian Gongbaima introduced that during patrol, they discovered a bird on the riverbank and, to prevent other wild animals and livestock from intruding, they brought it home to feed, and later confirmed it was a gray crane by relevant wild animal experts. It is understood that the gray crane is currently released. Researcher Li Laixing from the Northwest Plateau Biological Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences said that gray cranes are migratory bird species that pass through Qinghai. During migration season, they may appear individually due to air currents or weather changes. Some elderly, sick, or disabled cranes may be stranded and appear sporadically. Gray cranes are a national level two protected animal species that love wetlands, swamps, and shallow lakes, with their main breeding grounds in Northeast and Northwest regions, and they migrate south in winter. There is very little information about gray crane populations and habitats in the Three Rivers Source Area. The source of the Lancang River is located in the west of Zhaqu County, Qinghai Province, with a landform covering high-altitude coniferous forests, high-altitude meadows, and high-altitude bare rocks, which is one of the important breeding habitats for wild animals, including snow leopards, in the Three Rivers Source Area of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. (Technology Daily reporter Zhang Yun, correspondent Wenqiang)