- Eight endangered crested ibises have been released into the wild in Hakui city, Japan, marking a significant conservation milestone decades after the species was declared extinct in the country.
- The release, from individual wooden cages, was part of a special ceremony attended by Crown Prince Akishino and his wife Kiko in the Noto region.
- These ibises are the product of a successful captive-breeding programme on Sado Island, with their comeback catalysed by breeding support from China, which donated a pair in 1999.
- Known as Toki, the distinctive birds 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.
- The release is viewed as a powerful symbol of hope for the Noto region, which continues its recovery from the devastating 2024 earthquake, and follows a similar reintroduction in South Korea in 2019.
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Endangered crested ibises return to Japanese wild decades after extinction
