'Mother' hen helps hatch 8 mandarin ducks in Hubei

Thanks to a caring hen, eight mandarin ducklings have survived and are growing at a wetland park in Yuan'an county, Yichang city in Hubei province, after their mother left. Recently, in the waters of Dayan Forest Farm in the county, the ducklings were seen swimming, foraging and playing. They are expected to be released into the wild by the end of this month.

The story of the mandarin ducks is the first case of successful human-assisted incubation at the Yuan'an Juhe National Wetland Park.

Last winter, the park installed 26 artificial nest boxes in the forest, 20 of which were equipped with smart monitoring systems for staff to observe the breeding activities of birds via a mobile app.

In late March, the system showed that a wild mandarin duck had occupied a box and laid an egg, followed by seven more in the next few days. It began incubation on April 10.

Li Jie, who is in charge of the planning and construction department at the park, checked on them every day through the surveillance system. "Watching the mother mandarin duck carefully incubate her eggs filled my heart with anticipation for the new lives," she said.