The family of crested ibis gets bigger

头10年“保姆式”护鹮，成效初显。然而，鸟渐增多、巢渐分散，护鹮人手紧，咋盯管？

Crested Ibises were under very good care over the past decade. However, it got harder as there were no sufficient hands. What should they do？

1990年，洋县有了新思路——“发动群众”。当年便拿出第一招：在有朱鹮活动的乡村，选拔优秀青年农民做巡护员。那一年，李昌明23岁，刘义25岁，是队伍里的主力。

In 1990, Yangxian County developed a new method-to call the messes into action. To be more specific, select outstanding peasants as guardians. The 23-year old Li Changming and 25-year-old Liu Yi became core members.

李昌明说，“每多一只宝宝，朱鹮离种群灭绝就远了一步，我们的抢救性保护就迈前一步。”

Every newly bred crested ibis means they are less likely to be extinct and that we've made progress in protecting the endangered creature, said Li Changming.

做了两年巡护员后，刘义从野外监测调至朱鹮救护饲养中心，他迎来了新挑战——学习对朱鹮的饲养、繁育、救护。

Two years later, Liu Yi was transferred to the Rescue and Breeding Center. That was a new challenge for him as he needed to learn to raise, breed, and rescue crested ibis.

1993年，朱鹮保护站里，第一只人工孵化幼鸟破壳而出，技术员们喜出望外；又过两年，人工饲养朱鹮首次产卵，大伙儿奔走相告，激动得掉下泪来……

The first artificially hatched baby bird broke out of its shell in 1993 in the Crested Ibis Conservation Station. Two years later, artificially raised crested ibis laid eggs for the first time. Feeders shed tears of happiness when they heard the exciting news.

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时光推移，朱鹮种群日渐复壮，身影越飞越远，“保护站+信息员+农户”等模式应运而生，朱鹮保护专业力量也在不断加强，直至2005年升格为陕西汉中朱鹮国家级自然保护区，朱鹮保护体系日渐完善。

The family of crested ibis got bigger and bigger with time. The pattern of "Conservation Station, Information Officer, and Peasants" was applied the protection was more scientific and professional. The protection system was improved in 2005 when the Crested Ibis Conservation Station was upgraded to the Shaanxi Hanzhong Crested Ibis National Nature Reserve.

此时的刘义、李昌明已年过五十，哥俩儿依旧是护鹮主力——在陕西汉中朱鹮国家级自然保护区管理局担任主要干部。

Liu Yi and Li Changming, who were then in their fifties, were still the main guards of ibis-serving as the main cadres of the Administration of Hanzhong Crested Ibis National Nature Reserve.

苦苦坚守，终获回报——迈入21世纪门槛时，朱鹮的野外种群、人工种群，数量双双破百。

Great efforts paid off finally. The number of both wild and artificial population of the crested ibis exceeded 100 in the beginning of the 21st century.