 A baby crested-ibis breaks through its eggshell at the Crested Ibis Center in Changnyeong, South Gyeongsang Province, Monday. The birth is a part of the government’s restoration project. The Chinese government donated a pair of adult birds for breeding to Korea last year. / Yonhap |
Staff Reporter
A chick from Yangzhou and Leungting, two crested ibises, was hatched Monday night in Upo Wetland in Changnyeong, South Gyeongsang Province, the Crested Ibis Center there said Tuesday.
It is the first recorded birth of the endangered species here in 20 years here.
Yangzhou and Leungting were gifts from China. Last September, the two countries signed a memorandum of understanding on the restoration of crested ibis in the country and China made the donation in October.
The birds received the best treatment ― they had their own vet and a center as well as residence where 24-hour-surveillanace cameras monitored possible attack from other animals. People's access was also restricted since the birds were very sensitive because they are now trying to adapt themselves to a new environment.''
Leungting laid her first eggs on Apr. 1., but they failed to hatch. She laid two more later, but Yangzhou tried to roll them over and disturb the process, so the vet decided to put the eggs in an incubator where one of them hatched Monday.
Now, Leungting is nesting on three more eggs waiting to hatch.
The news of the birth excited bird lovers.
Prof. Park Hee-cheon of Kyungpook National University, who is in charge of the restoration project, said, ``This is the third time in the world after China and Japan that a bird has been hatched. It means we can now share our know-how with other countries ― North Korea or Mongolia ― too.''
But he said that he needs to watch over the newborn bird for another 15 days. ``Then we can say whether the project was a success or not. We also need more hatchlings,'' he said.
The provincial government plans to import more crested ibis to avoid inbreeding, which is one of the more serious problems in restoration projects.
``In the long-term, we will have to release the birds into the wild,'' Park said.
Crested ibis is the government designated natural treasure No. 198. It had a wide population ranging from Russia to Japan, Mongolia and China in 19th century, but has not been seen here since 1979.
China succeeded in an artificial breeding program in 1978 and now have more than 1,000. Japan received donations from China in 1999 and now has 97.
bjs@koreatimes.co.kr
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