Endangered birds stranded amid cold wave in NE China get rescued

Six oriental white storks, stranded amidst a cold wave that struck northeast China's Jilin Province, were successfully rescued on Monday.

The wildlife rescue center in the provincial capital Changchun received reports from local residents on Monday morning that more than 100 oriental white storks were stranded in an industrial park amid heavy snowfall, with one of them showing visible blood stains.

Investigations by rescuers revealed that the bird had abrasions. A local resident brought home another bird that was trapped in the snow, and it was able to regain mobility soon. These two birds, along with four others rescued, were subsequently transferred to the wildlife rescue center.

"After examination, we found that most of the storks didn't sustain injuries, but they were unable to fly due to the extreme cold and adverse weather conditions," said Di Haiyang, head of the rescue center.

The oriental white stork, a migratory bird species under first-class national protection, has been listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

The birds would normally gather around Changchun in early November before migrating to the south. However, this year, their journey was impeded by the cold wave.

Di noted that the rescue station would closely monitor the stranded storks' condition, but for now, intervention is not needed. After the weather improves and when the six storks fully recover, they will be released to join the groups.

A cold front has ushered in strong winds and heavy snowfall across northern and northeastern China since Sunday. The cold wave will continue in the next several days.

(Cover image via CFP)