16 Japan-born crested ibises to be sent to China in late Oct.

Japan has agreed to send 16 crested ibises born in Niigata Prefecture to China later this month, sources familiar with the matter said Saturday, sparking hope the transfer will help improve strained bilateral ties.Japanese-born ibises became extinct in 2003, but Japan has been artificially breeding the internationally protected species using birds donated by China, the first of which arrived in 1999. According to memoranda of understanding between the two countries, half of the offspring born through this method must be sent back to China.The first such return came in March 2002 but the las…READ FULL ARTICLE