Zhalong State Nature Reserve for Red-Crowned Cranes, the largest artificial breeding center for red-crowned cranes in the country, is on high alert for bird flu following reports of an outbreak of bird flu in the Republic of Korea.

Zhalong, situated south of Qiqihar, a city in western Heilongjiang Province, is on the flight route of migratory birds, exposing the reserve to the possibility of a bird flu outbreak, said Wang Wenfeng, deputy head of Administration for Zhalong State-Level Nature Reserve.