Confirmed by experts from the Biodiversity Survey Group of Beijing Economic Development Zone and Beijing Zoo, Beijing has recorded for the first time the success of natural breeding of the national second-level protected animal Grey Crane in Beijing.
On June 9 this year, the grey crane, a national grade II protected animal, successfully hatched naturally for the first time in the Elk Garden of Nanhaizi Park. "The breeding site chosen by the grey crane this time is a small island, surrounded by water, and almost no one or carnivores will go to the island, which is relatively safe." The island is humid, rich in humus, dead branches and leaves, breeding a lot of insects, which can provide rich food for the growth of small cranes. The relevant person in charge of the biodiversity survey team of the Beijing Economic Development Zone said.
For several days, experts have been following the growth of the two grey cranes, and have also filmed and produced documentaries. At the full moon, eat small insects and other high-protein foods to grow up, the legs are thicker than the original, the head is also taller, the wings began to grow feathers, has been able to follow the parents out to see the world; 60 days, the small crane grew bigger, the feathers are plump, not only eat high-protein worms, but also eat fruits, seeds and grain, the head is almost as tall as the parents and mothers, like to bathe, comb the feathers, very beautiful.
"At the beginning of June, we were on a normal inspection to observe the hatching of gray cranes, and we were encountering two large cranes for a 'change of guard'." The staff of Elk Park recalled that when the gray crane lying in the nest stood up, a small camel brown hairball moved in the nest, and the staff looked at it with a telescope and shouted excitedly: "Little crane! Hatched out, the crane out of the shell! There is also an egg next to it. "This little crane in the telescope, like a small hairball, is shaking, it is difficult to look up, it seems that it is not yet able to stand, it seems that it is not long after the shell." A few days later, another crane was born.
It is understood that the gray crane has been recorded in elk park for more than ten years, and has not found the phenomenon of nesting and hatching eggs. "A wild crane came last year, flew away the next year, and hasn't come back until now." The staff said that through observation for many consecutive days, they found that the cranes that had just come out of the nest could only eat some small bugs, such as small spiders, aphids, caterpillars and so on. Once, a big crane dug out an earthworm, and the little crane couldn't eat it, and finally the big crane swallowed it itself.
According to experts from the Beijing Biodiversity Conservation Research Center and the Beijing Zoo, according to the literature, the grey crane is the most widely distributed species among the 15 species of cranes in the world, and has been included in the list of national second-level protected animals and the second-level list of the "List of Wild Animals under National Key Protection in China", and the breeding site should be in the northern and northeastern parts of Xinjiang in China. Beijing is the wintering ground for grey cranes, not breeding grounds, "even in beijing zoo, there has been no record of natural breeding of grey cranes for many years, and this time it is the first time in Beijing that natural breeding has been successful in the Economic Development Zone." ”
It is understood that the gray crane is still facing the dilemma of habitat destruction. In order to create a good environment for the healthy growth of the crane, the Elk Garden in Beijing Nanhaizi Park reminds tourists that if the gray crane family is found on the grass on the side of the road when playing, they must watch from 20 meters away, do not watch, do not chase, and avoid the crane being directly injured or forced to isolate from the family. It is important to note that the adult grey crane is very sensitive and aggressive for the protection of the small crane, and tourists should not try to watch closely.
Editor: Pendin
Photo: Zhong Zhenyu/ Courtesy of Beijing Biodiversity Conservation Research Center