Cambodia Sets Up Sanctuary for Rare Crane
Date: 17-Sep-07
Country: CAMBODIA
Nearly 300 of the red-headed, 1.3 metre (4 feet) tall birds
have been found in two districts of Takeo province near the
border with Vietnam. Conservationists said in 1999 there may be
fewer than 1,000 of the birds left in the wild.
"We need to protect these beautiful creatures," Mok Mareth
said, adding that wildlife officials had been dispatched to
tell local fishermen and farmers not to hunt the cranes for
food.
The cranes have also been found in the northwestern
province of Banteay Meanchey province, 300 km (185 miles)
northwest of Phnom Penh, in an old Khmer Rouge reservoir.
Thanks to a similar government protection and sanctuary
scheme introduced in 1999, that population had grown from 220
to 495 this year, officials said.