A plane carrying 16 crested ibis born in the city of Sado, Niigata Prefecture, arrived in the Chinese Beijing Capital International Airport Tokyo International Airport on October 31.
According to the Memorandum of understanding between China and Japan, Japan should return half of the offspring of the Chinese crested ibis. Between 2002 and 2016, Japan returned 47 crested ibis to Japan on seven occasions, Kyodo news agency reported. This is the 8th time to return, due to Covid-19 and transportation costs delayed. The returned birds, seven males and nine females born between 2016 and 2022 at the crested ibis conservation centre in Sado, will be sent to the Beijing Zoo.
Sadu city in Niigata County held a signing ceremony for the return of the crested ibis to greet the Chinese delegation, “I hope the 16 crested ibis can become ambassadors of friendship between the two countries,” said Aramaki Jinrisha, director of the rare species conservation promotion office at the Japanese Environment Ministry. “We send them off with joy,” said the head of the Chinese delegation, these crested ibis reflect the Japanese crested ibis breeding technology progress, is the result of cooperation between the two countries.
The crested ibis is known as“The Lucky Bird” in China. It is also popular in Japan. The wings of the crested ibis spread out to give a yellow-pink visual effect, which in Japan is known as the“Crested ibis color.”. As a result of over-hunting, the number of crested ibis in great decline.
Fortunately, the crested ibis did not go extinct. In 1981, seven wild crested ibis were found in China, and the government started the national protection policy. The number of crested ibis increased gradually in China. In the same year, the last five wild crested ibis were captured in Japan. In the following 20 years, Japan borrowed crested ibis from China many times for mating, but failed to breed successfully. The last crested ibis in Japan died in 2003.
In 1999, China sent a pair of crested ibis to Japan, which successfully bred offspring. In order to expand the genetic diversity of the population, the crested ibis was introduced from China into Japan in the 21st century. There are about 700 crested ibis in Japan today, according to RKB Daily News. At present, all the crested ibis in Japan are the descendants of Chinese crested ibis.
Japan has learned from China’s success in breeding crested ibis, RKB daily news reported. In Sado, Niigata Prefecture, where the crested ibis is native, many farmers try to reduce their use of pesticides to ensure they have enough to eat. Low-pesticide rice has also become a local brand and successfully sold throughout the country.
The report said fish, amphibians and insects were returning to Sado as a result of efforts to protect the crested ibis. At the same time, at the level of sino-japanese relations, the protection of crested ibis also proved the possibility of mutually beneficial cooperation. On the issue of the return of the crested ibis, Chief Cabinet Secretary Lin Fangzheng told the media on the 31st that the crested ibis is a symbol of the friendship between Japan and China. He hoped that the two sides would further promote cooperation on the conservation of the crested ibis and deepen bilateral relations.