- Eight endangered crested ibises , known as Toki, have been released into the wild in Hakui city, Noto region, Japan , marking a significant reintroduction decades after the species was declared extinct in the country.
- The release, which took place on Sunday, was attended by Crown Prince Akishino and his wife Kiko, who participated in a ceremony to allow the birds to take flight, generating widespread enthusiasm among residents.
- These ibises are the result of a successful captive-breeding programme at a conservation centre on Sado Island, with ten more birds reportedly awaiting release to further bolster the wild population.
- The species, native to East Asia and admired for its distinctive orange-pink wings and red eye markings, vanished from Japan 's Honshu main island in the 1970s due to overhunting and environmental degradation, with the last native Japanese ibis dying in 2003.
- China played a crucial role in the birds' comeback, donating a pair in 1999 that led to the first captive-born chick, and the current population on Sado Island has grown to approximately 500 since releases began in 2008, with this latest release also serving as a symbol of hope for the earthquake-stricken Noto region.
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Endangered crested ibises return to Japanese wild decades after extinction
