MOSCOW, December 16 (RIA Novosti) – Over 200 rare migrating birds have been stranded on a wetland in north China's Tianjin municipal district, Xinhua news agency reported on Sunday.
The oriental white storks should have left for the south by the end of November but are still living in the snowy Beidagang Wetland Nature Reserve, a rare occurrence for this time of the year, Wang Jianmin, a volunteer at the Tianjin Wild Animal Rescue and Training Center, said.
Heavy snow hit the area on Friday, making it difficult for the birds to find food as the wetland has mostly frozen.
The birds may have been poisoned by tainted food or simply became too weak to fly away, the volunteer said.
The center’s volunteers spread small fish on the ice on Friday night, all of which was eaten by the storks by the next morning. Food was put out for the storks on Saturday morning again and the center will offer more food on Sunday.
"If they still don't fly south after eating, it will be a serious problem," Wang said, adding the case may be related to a recent poisoning incident.
In November 20 oriental white storks were found dead and another 13 poisoned on the wetland in November after the waters were confirmed as tainted with pesticide. Two suspects, who were found to have dispersed the pesticide for poaching purposes, were caught by the police on November 25.
The oriental white storks are included in Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), which means they are among the most endangered species. Only from 2,500 to 3,000 of such birds exist.
The storks, which usually reproduce in the northeast, migrate south for winter. The Beidagang Wetland is a major habitat located along their migratory route.
