40 endangered ibis released thirdly in the wild

▲ An ibis being released into nature

SEOUL, April 24 (Yonhap) --The Ministry of Environment announced on the 25th that 40 ibis, a second-class endangered wildlife, will be released into the wild of Upo Marsh at the Upo Ibis Restoration Center in Changnyeong-gun, Gyeongsangnam-do on the 6th of next month.

ibis was last seen in 1979 in the Demilitarized Zone due to capture and habitat damage.

Through the 2008 Korea-China summit, the government imported 4 ibis from China and is increasing and restoring them at the "Upo Ibis Restoration Center."

So far, a total of 432 have proliferated and been released twice, 40 each.

The releasing is jointly implemented by the Ministry of Environment, the Cultural Heritage Administration, Gyeongsangnam-do and Changnyeong-gun, and this is the third release since 2019.

The natural release will be carried out on its own to increase survival rates without stressing wildlife.

The ibis will be equipped with GPS and individual identification tunes.

Related organizations, including the Ministry of Environment, plan to closely observe ibis released in consideration of the possibility of spreading ibis throughout Korea.

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