STORY: China, France cooperate on protection, breeding of endangered wild birds
SHOOTING TIME: Recent footage
DATELINE: March 17, 2024
LENGTH: 00:02:13
LOCATION: NANCHANG, China
CATEGORY: ENVIRONMENT

SHOTLIST:
1. various of the blue-crowned laughingthrush
2. STANDUP 1 (English): CHEN YUSHAN, Xinhua correspondent
3. SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): HONG YUANHUA, Director of the Wild Animal and Plant Protection Management Station of Wuyuan County Forestry Bureau
4. STANDUP 2 (English): CHEN YUSHAN, Xinhua correspondent
5. SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): ZHANG WEIWEI, Professor of Jiangxi Agricultural University
6. STANDUP 3 (English): CHEN YUSHAN, Xinhua correspondent

STORYLINE:

STANDUP 1 (English): CHEN YUSHAN, Xinhua correspondent
"Blue head, yellow throat and brown waist. Have you ever seen this bird before? It's blue-crowned laughingthrush, which has been listed as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. At present, there are just more than 200 wild blue-crowned laughingthrushes in the world, and all of them are in Wuyuan County in China's Jiangxi Province and the surrounding areas."

SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): HONG YUANHUA, Director of the Wild Animal and Plant Protection Management Station of Wuyuan County Forestry Bureau
"Twenty-three years ago, when we were conducting surveys on major plants and bird species in the Bingyinglin nature reserve in Qiukou Town, Wuyuan County, we heard a chirping sound that we had never heard before. We were very excited. Upon closer inspection, we found that the appearance of the bird was the same as the specimen of the blue-crowned laughingthrush. Later, it was identified by experts as the blue-crowned laughingthrush we were looking for."

STANDUP 2 (English): CHEN YUSHAN, Xinhua correspondent
"The discovery of the bird dates back to 1919, when a French missionary collected specimens of the bird in Wuyuan, which is the earliest record of this bird. In recent years, France has cooperated with Jiangxi on the conservation of blue-crowned laughingthrushes."

SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): ZHANG WEIWEI, Professor of Jiangxi Agricultural University
"Now, there are artificially bred blue-crowned laughingthrushes in France. The European Association of Zoos and Aquaria is breeding the birds in many countries and regions. Through the study of wild populations, they hope to learn more about the nutrition and disease control of the species. Next, we will cooperate with France in artificial breeding. Meanwhile, the study of food, nutrition, and habitat composition of wild birds might help our work in artificial breeding and improve the health status of the species."

STANDUP 3 (English): CHEN YUSHAN, Xinhua correspondent
"Nowadays, China and France work closely together on protecting biodiversity. We hope that the blue-crowned laughingthrushes and other animals and plants can freely grow and reproduce in this place, and humans and nature can coexist harmoniously."

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Nanchang, China.
(XHTV)