Crested ibis found dead

Poor thing. It is really too bad that this bird was not able to survive, as it tried so hard to learn how to survive in the wild. To those of you who are unfamiliar with the conservation of the Crested Ibis(Toki) in Japan, let me share with you a short introduction. I make several trips to Sado Island every year as a volunteer to restore the habitat for these birds, as the Ministry of the Environment and Niigata Prefecture are proceeding with the project of re-introducing these once-extinct birds back into the wild. The first 10 birds were released to the sky of Sado on September 24th this year.

The Crested Ibis was once a very common bird in Japan, as well as Korea, Taiwan, parts of China and the Russian Far East. In the latter 19th Century, these birds were heavily hunted for their beautiful feathers, and coupled with the loss of feeding grounds and nesting areas, they reduced their numbers rapidly. By the end of WWII, a little less than 30 birds were confirmed on Sado Island, and about 4 remained on the Noto Penninsula. On the Continent, the last sighting of the Crested Ibis was in 1979 on the Demilitarized Zone between North and South Korea. The Japanese Government and local people of Sado tried hard to protect the birds, but the number continued to decline. In 1981, as a last resort, the Japanese Government decided to capture the remaining 5 in the wild, and put them into captivity for breeding. These last 5 were believed to be the last remainig 5 of this species in the world. A pleasant surprise was that China re-discovered 7 wild ibises that same year. Since then the two countries have been making a shared effort to save the Crested Ibis.

There are many unpleasant stories between Japan and China, but at least this one is a beautiful one. It is a pure and diligent effort on both sides to come together under a common interest. The key people who take the lead on the conservation effort, both in Japan and in China, are very good friends. I witnessed how close they are, when I attended the ceremony this September in Sado. They call each other by first names, and to everyone’s eyes it looked that these people have nurtured mutual friendship for a long time.

Yes there are criticisms about re-introducing into the wild a species that once became extinct. There are criticisms about “buying” the birds from the very business-conscious Chinese Government, and the cost of constructing and managing the conservation center could be very expensive, all at the cost of the Japanese taxpayers. But the birds really bring the people of the two countries together, and the whole project of reviving the environment so that the birds could live, is a very meaningful and educational process. I saw many little kids who said “I will promise I will eat everything on my plate, because now I know the hardships the rice farmers have to go through each year.” Kids really learn what it means to persue agriculture without using pesticides, and how the different living things in the rice paddy depend on each other to sustain their lives.

The death of this one ibis is also another lesson of survival in the wild. Of the ten birds that were released in September, 8 are now confirmed to be surviving. One died as of yesterday, and one more is missing. It’s amazing how one flew across the ocean to Niigata,about 60 kilometres away. The birds are monitored on a daily basis:

http://ibis-info.blog.ocn.ne.jp/diary/

As winter approaches, Sado Island will be covered with snow and we might have to see additional deaths. But the Ministry of the Environment is planning to release additional birds in the Spring next year, and the goal is to have at least 60 birds in the wild by 2050.