Birds parks in Mekong delta
Ha Noi, July 28 (VNA) -- Tourists who come to Viet Nam's Mekong delta will be surprised by its rich wild life, particularly by various birds that flock to the region.
According to statistics, there are around 30 bird sanctuariesa in Mekong delta provinces of Tien Giang, Ben Tre, Vinh Long, Tra Vinh, Dong Thap, Can Tho, An Giang, Ca Mau and Kien Giang. Some of them formed in time immemorial and cover hundreds of hectares like those in U Minh Thuong of Kien Giang's Vinh Thuan district and Ca Mau's Ngoc Hien district.
The most prominent bird sanctuary is the Cham Chim Tam Nong National Park in Dong Thap province, covering 8,000 ha and stretching over five communes and townships in Tam Nong district. The park boasts a diversified flora with 130 known species of plants and is home to more than 100 species of mammals, 56 species of marine life and 147 birds species. Thirteen rare and precious species of birds, particularly Red-crowned and Black-necked cranes, listed in the World Red Book, have been found in the park. The park was the destination of more than 1,200 foreign and domestic tourists in 2000 and the first months of 2001.
Last April, the scrayer, a precious bird species, was discovered in the park. The Dong Thap People's Committee permitted specialists of the International Crane Foundation and Japan's Ostrich Study to cooperate with local specialists and conduct research on cranes to prevent this graceful bird species' extinction.
Ben Tre province is well-known for its swamps, where food is most abundant for wetland bird species. Newly-planted mangrove forests in the province's Thanh Phu, Binh Dai and Ba Tri districts have become attractive bird sanctuaries. Increasing numbers of herons, storks, tree-ducks, crows and bats have found shelter in the province's swamps.
The bird sanctuary in Bac Lieu province covers 250h and is home to almost 50 bird species. Tens of thousands of white and blue storks, scouts, grackles, herons and other unidentified bird species are born in the sanctuary each year.
Soc Trang province is famous for its bat flocks with bats weighing up to 0.5kg. Chua Doi or Bat Pagoda is a tourist attraction in the province.
According to available statistics on bird species, amphibian and reptile animals found in the delta's bird sanctuaries, the Ngoc Hien sanctuary in the southern-most Ca Mau province and U Minh Thuong sanctuary in Kien Giang province had the highest number of birds while the lowest record belonged to the Cu Lao Dat sanctuary in Ben Tre province. Each sanctuary has between 4,000 to 100,000 birds. The quantity of each individual species ranged from a few dozens to tens of thousands. Apart from birds, these sanctuaries are home to mammals and reptiles such as tigers, sambars deer, wild-boars, foxes, monkeys, snakes and tortoises.--VNA
