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Raised in Reeds, Milu Find a Home to Roam

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Raised in Reeds, Milu Find a Home to Roam CHINA DAILY | HONG KONG EDITION Tuesday, June 16, 2020 | 7 CHINA Raised in reeds, milu find a home to roam Populations of the especially when they live in the thick reeds that are 4 to 5 meters tall,” said large deer in the team leader Song Yucheng, who is Dongting Lake area also deputy chief engineer of the nature reserve and a member of the are on the rise milu conservation association. Early in 2009, Song saw a milu for thanks to efforts of the first time when he was studying conservationists for his doctorate in zoology. Since then, he has helped protect and expand the habitats of the species at CHANGSHA — Milu, also known Dongting Lake. as Pere David’s deer, are herd ani- Whenever a research team mem- mals that usually shun humans, but ber spies a deer through his or her when Diandian comes into contact telescope they can barely contain with people at a nature reserve in their excitement. Yueyang, Hunan province, she is Each member has a specific calm. research role, with some flying Eight years ago, 1-week-old Dian- drones, some counting the number dian was left behind by her herd. of milu and some estimating the age When people found her in the reeds of the males based on the shape and of a lake, she looked too weak and size of their antlers. emaciated to survive. As the flood season approaches, Raised by keepers at the East Song and his colleagues are gearing Dongting Lake National Nature up for their busiest time of the year. Reserve, Diandian gradually started They will patrol the lake area day treating people as her friends. and night to search for stranded and Today, she is the mother of three injured deer, monitor the flood milu, thanks to the attention and intensity and supply feed for the ani- care shown to her by staff members mals when needed. at the reserve. The past several years have wit- “Most milu break into a gallop nessed the gradual recovery of the once someone approaches, but milu population. Once extinct in Diandian is deliberate in her actions China, its native land, and with only and unhurried,” said Li Zheng, a 18 individuals surviving in the keeper at the reserve who has taken world, the milu deer is now prosper- care of Diandian for years. Clockwise from top: A herd of milu deer wanders around the wetland in the East Dongting Lake National Nature Reserve in Hunan pro- ing in its home country. Li is also the president of a milu vince. LI GA / XINHUA A male milu drinks from a pond in the reserve on May 26. WANG XINYI / XINHUA A member of a research team counts the num- As the environment improves in conservation association in Yueyang ber of milu through his telescope on May 27. CAI XIAOXIAO / XINHUA and around Dongting Lake, China’s and head of a local milu and bird second-largest freshwater lake, the rescue center, where 11 deer, includ- wetland has become a haven once ing Diandian, have their families. “I fed Diandian some fresh aspar- ring to the Mandarin word for tion in Yueyang. “As our country is equipment that once posed a threat again for a number of wildlife spe- The breeding season starts in agus shoots and leaves for breakfast “three­three”. placing more emphasis on environ- to the animals is no longer seen in cies, including migratory birds and March and it is the busiest time for as usual, and moments later when I Li was initially driven by curiosity mental and wildlife protection, peo- nature reserves. the Yangtze finless porpoise. Li and his colleagues as they need to returned, a newborn milu was tee- about the animals, and he has since ple are increasingly aware that milu On May 27, a team of experts went “We will continue to protect these work extra hours to take care of the tering right beside her,” Li said. developed a deep affection for milu are State-protected animals,” Li on patrol to observe a herd of milu precious animals and their living animals until mid-May. “Since it is her third calf and born and is determined to protect them. said. near Dongting Lake. environment,” Song said. He vividly remembers 7:58 am on in the third month of the year, we From 2016, he has been on the Milu habitats are usually centered “It takes time and luck to spot one March 18 this year. named it Sansan,” he added, refer- front line of milu rescue and protec- around water, and Li said fishing and figure out the total number, XINHUA Thais impressed by Chinese tech training By YANG CHENG in Tianjin tributing to the coastal city. He [email protected] received the award for fostering Chinese vocational education over- I was lucky to speak Thai student Nattawut Thusawut, seas and fundraising for the Luban who was raised by his grandmother, Workshop. fluent Chinese after said attending a Luban Workshop at Over the past 5 years, the Luban the training course a college in his home country Workshop in Ayutthaya has expand- changed his life. ed from 232 square meters to 2,000 and shared many light The 21-year-old studied mechat- sq m. It offers courses in mechatron- moments with the ronics at Ayutthaya Technical Col- ics and robotics, new energy vehi- lege in Thailand, the first overseas cles, the internet of things, teachers, including institution to join the vocational computing and high-speed train eating dumplings technology training program Jarun Youbrum, director of technology. launched by Tianjin education Ayutthaya Technical College To date, more than 6,000 students during Chinese folk authorities in 2016. have joined the project. The diplo- festivals.” Nattawut said his mother died ma issued by the Luban Workshop A sanitation worker cleans up garbage on the Grand Canal in a Luban when he was young and his father knowledge, but also form ties with is recognized by Thai education Nattawut Thusawut, Yangliuqing, Tianjin, on June 5. SONG RUI / XINHUA Workshop graduate in Thailand abandoned him. “My father only left their Chinese instructors that result authorities. me with a computer,” he said in an in closer bonds, he said. Workshop students have won interview with Tianjin TV and the Jarun Youbrum, Ayutthaya Tech- many international and ASEAN Tianjin’s vocational training Tianjin Bohai Vocational Techno- nical College’s 61-year-old director, competitions for automated schools will be set up in Africa. Grand Canal cleanup logical College’s TV station. said the Luban Workshop can help machinery skills, which has bur- The workshops are named after He said the workshop became his students from Association of South- nished the school’s reputation for the Chinese craftsman and inventor “second home” and he developed a east Asian Nations member states excellence. Lu Ban of the Spring and Autumn benefits Tianjin township close personal bond with his Chi- gain a world-class education. Enrollment applications have Period (770-476 BC), who was nese teachers and friends. He said the Luban Workshop at also come from other countries, revered as the embodiment of pro- “I was lucky to speak fluent Chi- his college was an example of how to including Indonesia and Malaysia. fessional and technical excellence. TIANJIN — At dawn, Ren Zhao- pollution. Since 2017, a total of 245 nese after the training course and boost global training and cross-cul- Bai Haili, deputy director of the Ten workshops have been estab- yong started his daily patrol along- companies in Yangliuqing have shared many enjoyable moments tural communications. Tianjin Education Committee, said lished in Asia, Africa and Europe, side the Grand Canal to check been shut down, relocated or with the teachers, including eating “Nothing is greater than sharing to honor the commitment Presi- providing skills training and certifi- whether there was rubbish float- upgraded. dumplings during Chinese folk fes- education,” said Jarun, who was dent Xi Jinping made at the Beijing cation for more than 100,000 stu- ing on the water or washed up on Under the river chief system, 40 tivals,” Nattawut said. recently given the Haihe Friend- Summit of the Forum on China-Af- dents in nearly 20 fields, including the shore. cadres at various levels are desig- Students accepted into the pro- ship Award in Tianjin, the top rica Cooperation in Beijing in 2018, transportation, mechanics and new Ren is the Party chief of Dong- nated as river chiefs for environ- gram not only acquire skills and award granted to foreigners con- 10 Luban Workshops initiated by energy. niantuozui village, Yangliuqing mental protection of the canal’s township in Xiqing district, Tian- Xiqing section. jin. Yu Shengmin, 57, who has In January 2018, he was worked as a cleaner along the Knot-making skills kept alive online by craftswoman appointed as the river chief waterway since 2012, said in the responsible for the protection of past cleaners salvaged about two the water environment of the metric tons of garbage every day. TIANJIN — Resting her phone on taught her fans how to make differ- canal section in his village. “Nowadays, little garbage can be a stand and adjusting the angle of ent Chinese knots step by step. The Grand Canal, the world’s seen in the canal, except for some the lighting, 49-year-old Lyu Min “I have more than 200 followers longest man-made waterway, fallen leaves,” Yu said. started her livestreaming session — right now. I see more and more Chi- stretches 3,200 kilometers from Several other measures have her daily routine during the novel nese knot enthusiasts on online Beijing to Hangzhou, capital of been adopted to clear the water- coronavirus outbreak.
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