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I told you that the natural monument, the hooded cranes that flew to Suncheon Bay to spend the winter, are dying en masse due to avian influenza infection.

Local governments have started to prepare new habitats so that hooded cranes can safely spend the winter.



Reporter Lee Yong-sik covered the story.



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Winter Jingae Hooded cranes landed charred in a rice field near Suncheon Bay, where they hibernate.



It is a place where 3,500 birds spend the winter every year, but in mid-November last year, the number suddenly jumped to 9,800.



It flew to Suncheon Bay when more than 1,200 birds died as a highly pathogenic AI, or avian influenza, spread in the Izumi region of Japan, which was the main winter solstice.



However, as AI spread rapidly in Korea, 192 animals died until recently.



In response, Suncheon City started to create additional habitats to protect the hooded cranes.



The target is 109 ha of agricultural land, which is wider than the existing wintering area.



[Yoon Jong-min/National Institute of Ecology, Bird Team Leader: Living in one place with a lot of flock is risky, so we spread it to other suitable habitats in Korea...

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All of the eco-friendly rice produced in the paddy fields incorporated into the new habitat is provided as food for migratory birds, and instead, the farmhouses in question are provided with compensation of 16.8 million won per hectare.



In order to remove the power lines that could cause hooded cranes to collide, we decided to pull out and remove 161 power poles in the rice fields here.



In 2016, two hooded cranes died after colliding with power lines, and the risk of electric shock is high.



All greenhouses will also be demolished.



[Noh Gwan-gyu/Mayor of Suncheon, Jeollanam-do: The place where migratory birds come is the best place for humans to live.

I think this should be expanded as a balanced strategy for the entire country.]



Suncheon City has signed business agreements with six cities and counties, including Seosan, Chungcheongnam-do, and decided to seek ways to preserve the hooded crane habitat.



(Video coverage: Kim Min-cheol, Screen provided: Jeonnam Suncheon City and Cultural Heritage Administration)