Director of the Southeast Asia Crane Conservation Programme, Tran Triet, introduces about the cranes using footage captured from surveillance cameras at Tram Chim National Park on April 20.
One of six red-crowned cranes transferred from Thailand in April has died just 12 days after arriving at Tram Chim National Park in Dong Thap Province. Authorities said the crane showed signs of weakness and low appetite during its quarantine period.
Speaking to media on July 18, a representative from the Dong Thap People’s Committee said the bird had been less active and ate significantly less than the remaining five cranes.
An autopsy revealed no physical trauma, infections, internal parasites or gastrointestinal obstructions. The cause of death was identified as systemic weakness, leading to compromised immunity and poor adaptation.
The five surviving cranes are reported to be in stable condition and adapting well to the quarantine area inside Tram Chim National Park.
The six cranes, consisting of three males and three females, all seven months old, arrived at Tram Chim on April 20 following an observation and quarantine period at Saigon Zoo and Botanical Gardens in Ho Chi Minh City.
These are the first red-crowned cranes to be reintroduced to Tram Chim as part of a 10-year conservation project launched by Dong Thap Province. The project aims to receive 60 cranes from Thailand and breed 40 more domestically. Authorities hope to release all 100 into the wild, with a target survival rate of at least 50 per cent.
The total project budget is estimated at VND 185 billion (USD 7.25 million), with VND 55 billion (USD 2.15 million) allocated specifically for transportation, care, rewilding and breeding efforts.
Tran Triet, Director of the Southeast Asia Crane Conservation Programme said that this marks the first time adult cranes have been translocated internationally for conservation purposes.
“Previously, crane transfers involved only eggs or short-distance domestic movements,” he said. "The trip from Thailand to Vietnam took over 16 hours and involved both air and land travel in hot weather, which caused stress and a complete lack of food intake during transport."
A corner of the Tram Chim National Park
The International Crane Foundation estimates that the global population of red-crowned cranes stands at around 15,000 to 20,000, with 8,000 to 10,000 living in India, Nepal and Pakistan. In Indochina, where they are mainly found in Vietnam and Cambodia, numbers have dropped sharply from roughly 850 in 2014 to around 160 today.
In Thailand, red-crowned cranes had once gone extinct in the wild. However, a breeding programme launched in 2011 successfully reintroduced the species. By 2020, around 100 individuals had adapted and begun reproducing in natural habitats.