An old farmer decided to sacrifice his life to protect the flock of storks!

Farm into stork garden

Every time the sun sets, flocks of white storks fly back to the garden to find shelter after a day of foraging. Just a moment later, the entire garden of old farmer Vu Van Tuoi (Do My village, Bai Say commune, Kim Dong district, Hung Yen province) is covered in white. The sounds emitted by the flock of storks are really pleasant to the ears. They call out repeatedly as if to signal each other to return to their nests.

Every day, Mr. Tuoi and his grandchildren watch the flock of storks from the terrace of his house.

Nearly 20 years ago, his family wanted to convert the garden near their house to develop into a VAC farm. He dreamed of soon becoming a farm owner with fish ponds, orchards with local fruit trees such as longan, lychee, etc.

After a period of care, his family's garden was full of fruit and began to yield. He thought the first crop would be successful, but suddenly one afternoon at the end of the year, he saw a flock of about a dozen white storks flying to his garden to eat the fruit and stay there.

In the following days, they flew back in larger numbers, the number of storks gradually increased, turning his garden white. Realizing the good omen, Mr. Tuoi discussed with his family to “give land” to the storks, not chasing them away but letting them grow naturally. From then on, his family decided to turn the VAC farm into a stork garden, no longer developing the economy.

Flocks of storks nest in Mr. Tuoi's garden.

Since then, the 10,000m2 farm of Mr. Tuoi's family has become an ideal stork garden, one of a kind in this peaceful countryside. This place has also become a favorite tourist destination for many people in the bird-watching community.

Sacrificing life to protect the flock of storks

Since the flock of white storks flew to his garden to stay, Mr. Tuoi and all family members felt happier and more excited. Every evening, he and his grandchildren would go up to the terrace to watch the flock of white storks from afar. Or, every morning, after opening the door, the whole family would watch the flock of storks flying around the garden.

According to Mr. Tuoi: “In the early days when the storks first flew here to stay, there were many curious people looking around, especially those who hunted birds and storks to sell to restaurants. They tried every way, such as using electronic sounds to play the sound of storks or glue, electric traps to hunt the storks in my garden area.

However, every time my family and I discover someone preparing to set a trap for storks, we advise them not to destroy the flock of birds. Because it is a priceless gift that nature has given not only to my family but also to the people living around this area.

However, not everyone listened to Mr. Tuoi’s advice and ignored the “delicious prey” before their eyes. The hunters watched the flock of storks day after day, month after month. When they saw Mr. Tuoi’s family “closed the door and bolted”, they were ready to “ambush” the flock of storks.

To protect the flock of storks from being killed unjustly by hunters, Mr. Tuoi invested in building a solid fence around the farm, hung a “no hunting storks” sign around the fence, and installed cameras in 4 directions for easy monitoring via a small screen. He said that many nights, he did not dare to sleep, staying up all night to protect the flock of storks.

Mr. Tuoi is determined to protect the flock of storks as if he were protecting his own children in the family. Sometimes when he encounters fierce hunters, the two sides clash, and he is willing to risk his life to protect the flock of storks.

Photo: HD

Admiring Mr. Tuoi’s kindness, the local people joined hands with his family to protect the flock of storks. As a result, the birds seemed to feel the love and protection of humans, so they came to nest, breed, and flourish throughout the garden.

As Mr. Tuoi’s wife, Ms. Le Thi My, who has accompanied him throughout this time, shared: “My husband, my children and I are determined to protect the flock of storks. My husband loves the birds of the sky as much as he loves his own children.

During the breeding season, my husband goes out into the garden from morning to night, forgetting to eat, to fix the nests firmly, and to pick up the baby birds that have fallen to the ground and put them back in the nests. Seeing my husband happy and healthy, all family members support him.”