Local students and conservationists are trying to protect an endangered red-crowned crane that flew to Taiwan last month, as the intrusive behavior of some bird-watchers has disrupted its activities.
The crane, nicknamed “A-dan” (阿丹), appeared on a private farm in New Taipei City’s Sanjhih District (三芝) a month ago, attracting many bird-watchers to the rural area.
Some people chased the bird, scaring it away for a period, while others trespassed into the farm or set off firecrackers, which also frightened the bird, the Sanjhih A-dan Red-Crowned Crane Office said on Monday.
Four junior-high school students who learned about A-dan from their science teacher, Chang Pei-yi (張沛檥), volunteered to protect the crane and watch for anyone crossing the security line.
“I am so lucky to be able to accompany Adan in one place for such a long time. It has black-and-white feathers and a red crown. It’s so beautiful,” said one of the students, surnamed Luo (羅).
Chang said the students were thrilled to be able to see the crane through their telescopes and learned a lot from bird-watchers.
Animal protection personnel have put their own safety aside to protect the rare bird.
One of them fell and was injured on the farm while trying to ward off an “intruder,” who turned out to be the owner of the land, a volunteer from the office said.
A-dan is a wild bird, so it knows how to protect itself and maintain its distance from people, the office said, adding that the farmers were also making efforts to protect it.
However, the office cautioned bird-watchers to remain quiet at the scene and not to wear bright-colored clothes to avoid frightening A-dan.
The red-crowned crane is a large East Asian crane about 150cm tall. It breeds in southeastern Russia, northeast China, Mongolia and eastern Hokkaido in Japan, and the migratory birds have been spotted in Taiwan.
The species is classified as endangered, because its population is declining due to loss and degradation of wetlands caused by agricultural and industrial development, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s red list of threatened species.
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