[Anchor Lead]
Yubudo, a small island on the west coast of Korea, is a stopover for many migratory birds coming here to spend the winter. Recently, tens of thousands of migratory birds have arrived on the island. We take you there in our next report.
[Pkg]
They are migratory birds that have come to Yubudo Island on the west coast of Korea. Spoonbills, which were designated as a natural monument in Korea, prey on clams and crabs in the wetlands. The island is full of tens of thousands of birds of around 50 species, including ten endangered ones. They are on their way from Russia and Alaska to Southeast Asia and Australia to spend the winter. During their long flight, which spans 10,000 kilometers, they only stop once - on Yubudo Island. During their one-month stay on the island, the birds eat and grow their strength before they resume their flight, which will last five straight days without stops for resting, sleeping or eating.
[Soundbite] Kim Baek-jun(Senior Researcher, Nat'l Inst. of Ecology) : "Many birds come to Yubudo because the wetlandswhere they used to fly before have disappeared.By preserving the island, we can preventmigratory birds from becoming extinct."
Efforts are underway to inscribe Yubudo Island, the final stopover for migratory birds, as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2019.
