China has placed it on the level-one protection list and created several nature reserves to protect its habitat. Recent news reported that some black-necked cranes are living in harmony with local farmers in the remote mountains of Southwest China's Yunnan Province. So we decided to visit them.

Traveling some 370 kilometers northeast from Kunming, capital of Yunnan, one reaches Zhaotong. Another bumpy 70 kilometers from there leads you to Dashanbao Township. Sitting on an average elevation of 3,000 meters above sea level, the township is surrounded by billowing hills.

Surprise encounter

In the early morning, we walked along the Tiaodun River to look for the cranes. Two hours passed without one sighting. Just as we were about to give up, a local farmer named Yang Deneng volunteered to help.

We arrived at Yang's Hexing Village in the afternoon to find several black-necked cranes feeding in the rice paddy fields on the slopes.

We slowly approached the graceful birds. Just 10 meters from us, the five fairy-like birds were busy concentrating on picking grass roots and tiny fish from the field. Quite used to human presence, they continued without noticing us.

As we took pictures, our guide Yang said, "Don't frighten them. They will fly to the nearby river and spend the night there. You can take more pictures tomorrow morning."

Daylight had hardly illuminated the hills when we set out towards the river. Again, we were surprised by nature's beauty - in three or four groups, nearly 80 black-necked cranes were cleaning their feathers and playing with each other in the shallow waters. When the sun rose over the mountain, the cranes started dancing and singing songs which the ancient Chinese once described as "reaching the ninth level of Heaven."

Brief history

Although cranes were mentioned in "The Book of Songs" over 2,000 years ago, the black-necked crane was not discovered until 1876 at Qinghai Lake in today's Qinghai Province in Northwest China.

Living on the lakes or marshland 2,000 meters above sea level, the black-necked cranes feed on turnips, grass roots, potatoes, highland barley, and also frogs, insects and small fish.

Every October and November, they fly to winter habitats in Southwest China's Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau, southern Sichuan Province and the southeastern part of the Tibet Autonomous Region. In March and April, they return to the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and northern Sichuan to breed.

As the natural habitat of the black-necked cranes is harsh in condition, few chicks of the crane species survive.

According to the latest survey conducted by ornithologists from China and the United States, only about 5,500 black-necked cranes are left on Earth. Like the giant panda, it is regarded as one of the most endangered species in the world that needs immediate protection.

In 1985, the Chinese Government presented two black-necked cranes to the International Crane Foundation (ICF), the world's leading research group on crane species.

Although researchers have discovered basic facts about the large bird, much work remains.

Volunteer protectors

An expanse of marshland, Dahaizi is another important habitat for the black-necked cranes at Dashanbao. Near the marshland, Dong Yulan and her fellow villagers have become close friends of the cranes.

Since 1994, Dong has been placing corn or turnips around the cranes' habitat once or twice everyday from December to March.

At first, the cranes were shy and didn't dare eat the food. Dong thought that the stronger fragrance of oats would attract the birds so she brought out the oats which her family depends on throughout the winter, to feed the cranes. Gradually, the cranes began to follow or gather around her as she passed out oats, corn grains or turnip chips.

"It's lovely to see them dancing and singing around you. It's really a lovely sight," Dong said.

A few years ago, she discovered a crane whose legs were injured and could not walk. She brought it home and fed it for several days before sending it to the Black-Necked Crane Protection Station in the township.

All of the dwellers in Dahaizi Village cherish the black-necked cranes. During the harvest season, the cranes often pick out seeds and grains from the field, but the villagers never frighten the birds away.

"The cranes fly to our place because they like us. They are living beings. We can't harm them," Dong said.

According to the Forestry Bureau of Zhaotong, over 1,300 black-necked cranes have been found wintering in 19 habitats in Zhaotong. Dashanbao Township hosts over half of the cranes and became a provincial level nature reserve in 1994, covering nearly 200 square kilometers.

With the efforts of the local government and local farmers, the number of black-necked cranes coming here has increased from the initial 300 in 1993.

But at the same time, local farmers have had to remove grass from the marshland for firewood, which has reduced the amount of water in the cranes' habitat. The increasing human population with growing numbers of cattle is also posing a threat to the rare birds.

"We will try our utmost to protect this national treasure," said Sun Dehui, director of the Volunteer Association to Protect Black-Necked Cranes in Zhaotong, China.

(China Daily 08/30/2001)