Flocks of wild cranes, a bird species under state protection, have appeared for the first time in the Huaihe River valley, which was once considered one of the most seriously-polluted areas in northern China.

About 130 wild cranes have made their homes at Tangduo Lake near the Huaihe River, in Yingshang County of Anhui Province. Some are very rare cranes under top state protection, according to a local source.

China has invested tens of billions of yuan to clean up the pollution in the Huaihe River valley. Anhui Province alone shut down 757 small paper-making plants and mining and chemical enterprises, greatly improving the environmental quality of the valley.