SIXTEEN Japan-born crested ibises, offspring of birds originally sent from China, officially settled at the Beijing Zoo on Wednesday after completing a month-long quarantine.

They will be raised alongside the zoo’s current 23 crested ibises for breeding.

The Beijing Zoo has a good deal of experience in rescuing, rearing and breeding crested ibises, according to Zheng Changming, head of the zoo’s species management.

“We have provided technical support to other zoos and facilities, from ex-situ conservation centers to in-situ conservation efforts, which has helped increase the global population of crested ibises from just seven to nearly 10,000,” he was quoted by the Global Times as saying.

Known for their rarity and striking appearance, the crested ibis is a globally endangered species and a first-class national protected animal in China. Due to environmental changes, the crested ibis’ population sharply declined in the late 19th century and was once believed to be extinct in the wild.

In 1981, scientists discovered seven wild crested ibises in Yaojiagou, Yangxian County, Shaanxi Province, after years of research.

One of the male chicks, later named Huahua, was sent to the Beijing Zoo for breeding, the Beijing Evening News reported.

As China’s first artificially reared crested ibis, Huahua was loaned to Japan’s Crested Ibis Conservation Center from 1985 to 1989 for collaborative breeding. After returning to China, Huahua lived at the Beijing Zoo. In 1992, the zoo succeeded in artificially hatching crested ibis chicks. These chicks, carefully raised in captivity, were able to fly.

One of the ibises, named Pingping, has set a record as the world’s oldest crested ibis. Born in 1986 in Yangxian, Shaanxi, Pingping is now over 100 years old in human terms. With the new arrivals from Japan, the total crested ibis population at the Beijing Zoo has reached 39. (SD-Agencies)