Thai crane species gains new lease on life
The discovery of two new-born sarus crane chicks in the Huai Chorakhe Mak Non-Hunting area in Buri Ram two months ago has prompted a plan by the Zoological Park Organisation to have the birds de-listed as an extinct species. Instead, they look set to be reclassified with critical endangered status, as the ZPO lauds villagers’ efforts in bringing them back to the wild. The organisation said the discovery showed the cranes it has released into the wild have begun to breed. Dusit Zoo director Sumate Kamolnorranath said staff had released 72 cranes since 2011 in the non-hunting areas of Huai Charakhe Mak, the Sanambin reservoir and Huai Talat reservoir in Muang district. A team of specialists found the new-born chicks in Huai Charakhe Mak, raising hopes there could be more of them. He said the cranes were listed as extinct a long time ago. “We are raising the issue with the Office of Natural Resources and Environmental Policy and Planning, which is responsible for the listing. The crane’s ability to propagate in the wild is key to a possible upgrade to the critical endangered [re-introduction] status,” he said on December 8.
