25th Anniversary Marked of Crested Ibis Gift from China; Over 500 Birds Now Estimated to Live in Wild in Japan

By Akiko Yoshinaga / Yomiuri Shimbun Correspondent

17:40 JST, October 27, 2024

BEIJING — An event commemorating the 25th anniversary of China giving a pair of Japanese crested ibis to Japan was held at the Japanese Embassy in Beijing on Saturday.

Participants, including parents with their children and students, learned at the event about the history of Japan-China exchanges through the crested ibis, and about conservation activities for the bird.

Takahiro Hirano, 47, is a resident of Kikuyo, Kumamoto Prefecture, who participated in a five-year conservation project for the crested ibis launched by the Japan International Cooperation Agency from 2010 in Yang County, located in China’s Shaanxi Province.

Hirano spoke about a picture book that was made for local elementary school students to convey the importance of conservation. This part of China is actively involved in preserving the bird.

The number of crested ibis in Japan declined due to overhunting and other factors. However two birds were given to Japan by China in 1999, and artificial breeding was later achieved for the first time in Japan.

More than 500 crested ibis are currently estimated to live in the wild.

Sixteen crested ibis will be returned to China on Thursday.