向海鸟类救援队 鸟类的贴心“大夫”(有声)

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Birds in the Xianghai wetlands start to chirp when the morning fog begins to lift. It's estimated that more than 300 types of birds live here in Xianghai. The area boasts abundant water, trees and grasslands and as it is located along the bird's migration path, bird watchers converge here every year, looking forward to encounters with the rare breeds.

However, with a large birdlife population, emergencies sometimes happen.

Lin Baoqing is chief of the Xianghai bird rescue team.

"Many birds came here during their migration. Some may not have found enough food, some become ill and some may be injured in accidents. If they drop out and become alone, their lives may also be at stake."

Lin Baoqing and his fellow bird rescuers are supposed to extend a helping hand when birds are in dangerous situations. The rescue team is on call 24 hours a day, to respond to any reports or calls about birds in danger.

Once, Lin received an emergency call about a red-crowned crane, the second rarest crane in the world. Without a car, team members traveled hundreds of miles and were able to reach the spot that same night.

"The bird seemed to have food poisoning, a severe case. I gave it a powerful injection on the spot, yet for real treatment, we needed to bring it back. Can you believe it? These arms of mine were holding a red-crowned crane? I thought I must save it! I got on a train, which was so crowded. A staff member on the train let me use his staff room. We gave the crane good treatment and still today, it is living here in the rescue center. That's some seven years ago."

Wang Liwei, a staff member in the Xianghai Nature Reserve, tells us when the crane had recovered and they wanted to put it back to the wild, surprisingly, it refused to leave and lingered about the reed marshes in front of the rescue center. By the second year, it even formed a family with another migrant crane.

"We saw the new crane moving about the reed marsh so excitedly. And the scene was like the two cranes dancing together in their own backyard. When the winter came, we worried that the new crane would leave, but it didn't. Now, they already have seven babies together. "

Rescuers told us, behind every rescued bird, there is a touching story, and that the hero behind every touching story is not necessarily them. As a matter of fact, many local people have also contributed their help.

A farmer named Li Chunfu found an injured white stork. He decided to send the stork to the rescue center. But the stork attacked his son's eye, as the boy was examining the bird very closely. While comforting his son, Li kept on heading to the rescue base, and only took his son to hospital afterwards.

So far, a total of 113 birds of 15 different types have received treatment in the rescue center, thanks to reports from warm-hearted locals.

Those days, tourism in the Xianghai area is thriving. That enables the local government to invest more in bird rescue. With a fund of more than 500 thousand yuan, or some seven thousand US dollars, the Xianghai bird rescue team has upgraded its facilities. They now have two ambulances and a 24 hour hotline. 16 members of the team are capable of conducting professional treatment, while another three members hold masters degrees in ornithology.

Bao Jun, director of the Xianghai National Nature Reserve, says they'll do better in future.

"We have saved more than 1,000 birds so far. And many of them are endangered types like the red-crowned crane or the white stork. But the key for bird protection lies in the awareness and help of local people. Actually, many of them are already helpers, who have reported more than a hundred cases of injured birds to us."

For Life in China, this is Shuangfeng.