Policemen from the Yancheng Border Detachment play with a red-crowned crane at Yancheng National Rare Birds Natural Reserve on April 23, 2015. (Source: china.org.cn/ Zhang Shanyu)
BEIJING, May 1 (Xinhuanet) -- Yancheng National Rare Birds Natural Reserve in east China's Jiangsu Province is home to a variety of rare wild animals including red-crowned cranes, which are among the rarest cranes in the world. The park is one of the largest wetland nature reserves in China.
In 1983, policemen from the Yancheng Border Detachment started protecting red-crowned cranes and other rare wild animals in the area. Since then, policemen have acted as rangers, sparing no efforts to protect the endangered birds that are at risk of getting stuck in the boggy swamps or being attacked by poachers.
Policemen have arrested more than 150 poachers, destroyed more than 80 hunting blinds and saved six red-crowned cranes in the past three years. Their police station has been honored as an excellent service unit by the local government every year, and many policemen have been cited as outstanding individuals by the Yancheng municipal government for their efforts to protect the rare birds. They are called "the watchers in the wetland" by locals.
