6 sarus cranes from Thailand welcomed to new home at Vietnam national park

Prior to their release at the park, the sarus cranes underwent a mandatory 10-day quarantine period at the Saigon Zoo and Botanical Gardens in Ho Chi Minh City after being transported to Vietnam by air from Thailand’s Nakhon Ratchasima Zoo, also known as Korat Zoo, earlier this month.

The transfer is part of a conservation partnership between Tram Chim National Park and the Zoological Park Organization of Thailand (ZPOT), formalized in a memorandum of understanding signed in August 2024.

This marks the first transfer under the southern Vietnamese province’s sarus crane conservation and development project at Tram Chim National Park during the 2022-32 period.

Speaking at the event, Le Quoc Phong, secretary of the provincial Party Committee, said the milestone marked a significant step in Vietnam’s conservation efforts, with strong support from national leaders and international partners including the International Crane Foundation, the ZPOT, and Korat Zoo.

Phong also acknowledged contributions from organizations and businesses that helped bring the cranes to Tram Chim National Park.

He praised local residents for embracing sustainable farming practices and supporting the reintroduction program, which he described as a symbol of harmony between communities and nature.

He added that successful crane conservation would also ensure the environmental sustainability of Tram Chim and serve as a model for future biodiversity projects.

Jade Donavanik, chairman of the ZPOT, hailed the event as a model of international cooperation in biodiversity and environmental preservation.

He stressed the ecological importance of sarus cranes, which are globally vulnerable and face serious threats to their wetland habitats.