Japan to Send Two Ibis Chicks to China, One Dies

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Wednesday, March 06, 2002

Japan to Send Two Ibis Chicks to China, One Dies

Two male crested ibis chicks born last year to a female ibis presented to Japan by China, called Mei Mei, will be sent back to Shanghai Wednesday on schedule, Japanese Environment Ministry said Tuesday.

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Two crested ibis chicks born last year to a female ibis presented to Japan by China will be sent to Shanghai Wednesday on schedule, Japanese Environment Ministry said Tuesday.

Another chick, which was born last year to a female ibis presented to Japan by China, died at Ueno zoo in Tokyo zoo Tuesday, Japan's Environment Ministry said.

The injured female ibis chick, which was being treated at Ueno Zoo after suffering a dislocated bone at Sado Crest Ibis Conservation Center on Sadogashima Island, died at around 6:15 p.m. (local time) Tuesday, the ministry said.

The chick was scheduled to be sent to Shanghai as soon as it had recovered. The two other ibis chicks, both male, will be sent to Shanghai on Wednesday as scheduled, the ministry said.

The three are among five chicks born to an ibis, Mei Mei, which was donated by China last spring. Mei Mei's mate Yu Yu is the first crested ibis bred artificially in Japan.

Under an agreement between Japan and China when Mei Mei was sent to Japan in 2000, China has the right to the chicks from odd-numbered hatches to reduce the risk of extinction. The three were the first, third and fifth to hatch.

The crested ibis is an endangered species. The bird, known by its scientific name Nipponia Nippon, is virtually extinct in Japan.

Ibis Mei Mei from China Lays First Egg in Japan

Mei Mei, a crested ibis from China, laid her first egg at a preservation center on Sado Island in Niigata Prefecture, Kyodo News reported on March 26.

Mei Mei, presented to Japan by Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji during his visit last year, has been mated with Yu Yu at the Sado Crested Ibis Conservation Center in the Sea of Japan. (In Detail)

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