Thirty-two crested ibises were released on Wednesday from a protected enclosure to their natural habitat in the northern reach of the Qinling Mountains in Shaanxi province.
After a two-year experiment in Yangxian county, the rare birds, including 14 adults, 10 subadults and eight juvenile birds, are now able to survive in the wild, said Chang Xiuyun, a senior scientist with the Wildlife Conservation Center under the Shaanxi Forestry Administration.
The birds, which were found in Japan, China, Russia and the Korean Peninsula, were believed to be extinct in the early 20th century.
Great efforts have been put into protecting the birds since 1981, when seven crested ibis were accidentally found in Yangxian county.
Since then, the number of crested ibises in China has increased to more than 1,700, including more than 1,000 in the wild, and 700 in captivity, according to the State Forestry Administration.
"These artificially bred birds are all descendents of the seven that were found in 1981," said Chang. "Interbreeding of the birds can cause risks such as deformity or high mortality due to low genetic diversity, and these issues threaten the already small population."
"Our aim in sending them back to the wild is to help the birds adapt to natural living conditions, improve their species and enlarge their habitat," she said.
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