BEIJING: Sixteen Japan-born crested ibises, offspring of birds originally sent from China, have officially settled at Beijing Zoo on Wednesday after completing a month-long quarantine. These birds, a first-class national protected species, will now live and breed alongside the zoo’s existing population of 23 crested ibises.
According to Namibia Press Agency, Mao Yu, head of the zoo’s crested ibis team, stated that thorough preparations were made for the arrival of the flock. “We disinfected and cleaned their enclosures thoroughly, and provided them with suitable food such as loach, beef strips, and mealworms,” Mao said. Having worked with crested ibises for 23 years, Mao has been accompanying these birds since their quarantine period began. He emphasized the birds’ timid nature, noting, “Crested ibises are naturally timid and sensitive to noise; even the smallest disturbance can startle them. I hope that during this time, they will become familiar with me.”
The head of the zoo’s species management departmen
t, Zheng Changming, highlighted the historical significance of these birds at the zoo. Beijing Zoo hatched its first artificial-breeding crested ibis in 1989. With the addition of the returned birds, the zoo’s population has now grown to 39. The crested ibis was once on the brink of extinction, with only seven wild crested ibises found in Yangxian, northwest China’s Shaanxi Province, in 1981. Thanks to concerted conservation efforts over the past four decades, the global population of crested ibises has now surpassed 10,000.
The 16 crested ibises were airlifted to Beijing on October 31, marking a significant step in international conservation collaboration and efforts to bolster the population of this once-endangered species.
