When night fell in Gia Kiet hamlet, Tra Con commune, many people had rested, Mr. Le Van Chia, commonly known as Mr. Hai Chia, still quietly followed the rope around the garden of more than 27 cong of land (each cong 1,000m2) to protect wild birds.
Older and older, his health is no longer the same as before, so he built many temporary huts scattered in the garden to have a place to lie down after night patrols. On days when he was too tired, he could only doze off for a few minutes and then startled awake because he was worried about the strange noises of people hunting birds.
For more than 20 years, his garden has become a residence for thousands of birds from many places flying back to live. For Mr. Hai Chia, the flock of birds is not only a beautiful natural scene but also a part of life, attached every day.
He recounted that there were times when birds filled the whole garden, the chirping of birds from morning to afternoon. But in recent years, the situation of illegal hunting has made him always live in anxiety and worry. "Many nights I patrol continuously but still cannot stop them all. Some birds are injured, I bring them back to take care of them. Looking at the flock of birds that are no longer safe, I feel very sorry," Mr. Hai Chia choked up.
What worries him the most is the feeling of helplessness when looking at wounded birds lying under trees or dying after hunting. "I'm old but I still have the strength to keep birds. I just hope the flock of birds is peaceful, no longer hunted," he said.
Mr. Hai Chia hopes that functional agencies will pay attention to supporting the construction of protective fences, installing security cameras and strengthening patrol forces to make bird protection more effective.
Mr. Nguyen Van Nhieu - Vice Chairman of Tra Con Commune People's Committee - said that the locality recognizes and appreciates Mr. Hai Chia's contributions in more than 20 years of caring for and preserving the bird garden.
Mr. Hai has devoted a lot of heart to protecting the flock of birds to reside on an area of more than 27 cong of land (1,000m/cong). This is a very valuable work. The locality will continue to coordinate with him to protect and preserve the bird garden in the coming time," Mr. Nhieu said.
In recent days, after information reflecting the situation of bird hunting at Hai Chia Bird Garden appeared, functional sectors of Vinh Long province have organized field surveys, assessing management and conservation work in this area.
Mr. Tran Truong Giang - Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Vinh Long province - emphasized that units need to continue to strengthen close coordination between the commune police force and forest rangers in management, patrol, control, and protection of wildlife; not allowing the formation of bird hunting hotspots.
All opinions from the field survey on May 20 of the sectors will be summarized and submitted to the Provincial People's Committee to soon have solutions to protect bird gardens," Mr. Tran Truong Giang added.
