On October 24^th, Japan's Ministry of the Environment announced that 16 Japanese crested ibises born in Sado City, Niigata Prefecture, would be returned to China. A delegation from China is set to visit Japan on the 29^th, where a handover signing ceremony will take place at a conservation center on Sado Island. The ibises will then be shipped to Beijing on the 31^st.

The crested ibis is regarded as a "sacred bird" in Japan. According to a memorandum between China and Japan, Japan is required to return half of the offspring bred from ibises provided by China back to China. What journey led these beautiful birds to cross borders, and how long has it taken?

In June 1985, China and Japan signed the "Minutes of the Joint Meeting for the Research and Conservation of the Crested Ibis Between China and Japan," marking the beginning of their collaborative efforts to protect the species.

In November 1998, during an official visit of a Chinese leader to Japan, the then-Governor of Niigata Prefecture, Ikuo Hirayama, expressed to Chinese representatives Japanese people's deep desire to have a pair of healthy crested ibises. In January 1999, as a gift from China to Japan, the ibises "You You" and "Yang Yang" arrived at the Sado Conservation Center.

According to the relevant memorandums between Japan and China, starting from 2002, Japan is required to return half of the baby ibises hatched from those provided by China. By 2016, this process had been carried out seven times, bringing a total of 47 ibises back to China.

The Ministry of the Environment of Japan reports that the ibises being returned this time were born at the Sado Conservation Center between 2016 and 2022, including nine females and seven males. Once preparations for their care at the Beijing Zoo are complete, these ibises will be officially received.

Source :Lingnan on the Cloud

日本16只朱鹮归还中国，它们何以走出国门？| 第2眼

10月24日，日本环境省宣布，将把新潟县佐渡市出生的16只朱鹮归还中国。中国方面将于29日访日，在佐渡市的朱鹮交流会馆进行交接签署仪式，31日将这些朱鹮运至北京。

朱鹮在日本被奉为“圣鸟”。根据中日双方的备忘录，日方需要从中国提供的朱鹮所繁育的后代中，归还一半给中国。这种美丽的大鸟何以走出国门，这一路又走了多久？

1985年6月，中日两国签署了《中日共同保护研究朱鹮会议纪要》，从这时候起，两国开始了联合保护朱鹮的合作。

1998年11月，借中国领导人访日之机，时任新潟县知事的平山征夫找到中国有关人员，诚恳相告日本国民渴望一对健康朱鹮的意愿。1999年1月，作为中国赠送给日本的礼物，朱鹮“友友”和“洋洋”抵达佐渡朱鹮保护中心。

根据日中相关的备忘录，日本需将中国提供的朱鹮孵出幼鸟中的一半归还中国，从2002年开始履行，到2016年为止实施了7次，共有47只朱鹮回归中国。

据日本环境省介绍，此次归还的朱鹮是2016年至2022年间在佐渡朱鹮保护中心出生的，共有9只雌性，7只雄性。待北京动物园的饲养准备工作就绪后，这些朱鹮将被正式接收。

参考资料｜央视新闻、新华社、北京青年报、中国新闻网、光明日报、参考消息网、海外网、纪实人文频道、澎湃新闻、上观新闻等
话题主持 | 记者 杨楚滢
翻译 | 洪婷
审校 | 林佳岱