Eight endangered crested ibises have been released into the wild in Hakui, a city in Japan’s Noto region, decades after the birds disappeared from the country.
The release took place during a ceremony on Sunday. The birds, each waiting inside a wooden cage, flew into the sky as Crown Prince Akishino, Princess Kiko and other officials cut a ribbon. Local residents cheered as the ibises took off.
Crested ibises, known as Toki in Japan, are white birds admired for the soft orange-pink color beneath their wings and the bright red markings around their eyes. They are native to East Asia and have long been cherished in Japan.
But the species vanished from Japan’s main island of Honshu in the 1970s due to overhunting and environmental damage. The last native Japanese crested ibis died on Sado Island in 2003.
Their return has been made possible through years of conservation work and help from China. In 1999, a pair of crested ibises donated by China successfully produced the first Japanese crested ibis chick born in captivity.
Since then, breeding efforts have slowly rebuilt the population. In 2008, 10 ibises raised at a conservation center on Sado Island were released into the wild there. Today, the island’s wild population has grown to around 500 birds.
The eight birds released in Hakui were also raised at the Sado Island conservation center, and 10 more are expected to be released later.
For the Noto region, which is still recovering from the deadly 2024 earthquake, the return of the beloved birds felt especially meaningful. Many residents saw the ibises’ flight as a hopeful sign of renewal and recovery.