- 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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