China News Agency, Lhasa Linzhou, November 26th, title: Heming Plateau: The Ten-year Escort Road of Tibetan Black-necked Crane Rangers
Author Li Lin
In the early morning light, in the Hutou Mountain Reservoir in Linzhou County, Tibet, nocturnal black-necked cranes, red shelducks and other migratory birds chirped, ready to go out for food.
At 8 o'clock in the morning, Dan Zeng, who lives in Kadong Village, Chundui Township, Linzhou County, Tibet, packed up and was ready to go out by motorcycle.
"I am very happy and proud to be a ranger of black-necked cranes." Tenzin said that after ten years of patrolling, he has already taken care of black-necked cranes as his own children.
The black-necked crane, a first-class national protected animal in China, is the only crane in the world that lives and breeds on plateaus.
The Hutoushan Reservoir is surrounded by mountains on both sides and surrounded by a large area of fertile land, making it a good place for black-necked cranes to forage and roost at night.
For ten years, the timing of the migration of black-necked cranes has long been engraved in Tenzing's mind.
From the end of October, the number of overwintering black-necked cranes gradually increased; in March of the following year, they flew away one after another.
During this period, Tenzin's main task is to protect the "plateau elves" from overwintering safely.
On the patrol road, Tenzin looked around, paying attention to the black-necked cranes that were entangled or bumped into the fences and utility poles.
He also pays special attention to the movements of stray dogs. "Groups of stray dogs like to hide behind the grassy slopes by the reservoir and attack black-necked cranes sneakily."
In order to better protect black-necked cranes from overwintering safely, Linzhou County has established 10 feeding points in areas where black-necked cranes often move to supplement wintering food for black-necked cranes.
The sunlight reflected ripples on the water surface. Not far away, a family of three black-necked cranes were walking gracefully, their beaks protruding into the land in search of food.
It is also one of his jobs to observe the daily state of the three "small black dots".
Tenzin sees himself, more precisely, as a "servant" to wild animals.
He has rescued 4 black-necked cranes during the ten years of guarding the cranes over the winter, and "the longest time they have been raised is 8 months."
Tenzin's family is very experienced in rescuing injured black-necked cranes.
Give black-necked cranes a special room, wheat and other food.
"When other people in the family enter the room where the black-necked crane is closed, the black-necked crane will make a sound. Only when I enter, will I be very obedient." When the black-necked crane recovered from its injury and returned to nature, Dan Zeng felt more uneasy. Give up and care.
Over the years, Dan Zeng took the initiative to inform the people around the Hutoushan Reservoir of his contact information.
He hopes that if someone finds the injured black-necked crane, he can contact him in time.
In recent years, there have been more and more black-necked cranes in the patrol area, and Tenzeng feels that his work is very valuable.
According to official statistics in Tibet, the number of black-necked cranes has increased from less than 3,000 to more than 10,000.
Since 2016, Tibet has provided a total of 700,000 ecological jobs for the people. More and more farmers and herdsmen have become field guards and rangers, and the income of the people has increased by nearly 4 billion yuan.
The afterglow of the setting sun reflected the sky in the west, and the black-necked cranes that were looking for food were also preparing to "return home".
Tenzin, who is nearing his sixtieth birthday, falters on patrol day by day. He makes an agreement with his youngest son, Sangzhu, who accompanies him on patrol every day, that Sangzhu will take over the baton from his father in guarding the black-necked cranes.
This agreement is not only between the father and son, but also between the local people and the black-necked cranes: I look forward to "hearing the crowing of the cranes in winter and protecting the cranes through the winter" in the coming year.
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