Last year, it was confirmed that the red-crowned crane, a national special natural treasure, was infected with bird flu for the first time in Hokkaido. We are working on it.
In November last year, it was confirmed that one red-crowned crane protected in Kushiro City was infected with the bird flu virus for the first time in Japan, and the locals are becoming more cautious.
At the Tsurui-Ito Red-crowned Crane Sanctuary, one of the wintering grounds in Tsurui Village, a person in charge was sowing corn twice a day. There were about 150 red-crowned cranes.
Until last year, nearly 300 birds gathered at this feeding station on some days, so the village and the Ministry of the Environment are working to adjust the amount of food to reduce the risk of infection.
Specifically, the amount of food per bird should be reduced from about 230 grams to more than 200 grams per day, and the total amount should not exceed 45 kilograms per day.
As a result, in the future, we would like to reduce the number of flying birds per day to about 150 birds, which is half of the current number.
Also, in order to avoid crowding at the feeding station, we devised ways to spread the food over a wide area.
Osamu Harada, chief ranger of the Tsurui Ito Red-crowned Crane Sanctuary, said, "There are no other places where you can observe the red-crowned cranes that have been protected by the locals at a close distance, so we are wary of infection."