Changnyeong County Holds 11th Upo Crested Ibis Wild Release Event

Crested Ibis, the Hope of a Rebounding Ecosystem
Wishing for Their Successful Adaptation to the Wild

Changnyeong County, Gyeongsangnam-do, held the 11th Upo Ttao-gi Wild Release Event at the Upo Ttao-gi Restoration Center, located within the world-renowned Upo Wetland. This event involved releasing the crested ibis, a Level 2 endangered wild species and designated Natural Monument, back into nature.

The 11th Upo Crested Ibis Wild Release Event Held.
[Photo by Changnyeong County]

The event, held on May 6, was subtitled "Crested Ibis, the Hope of a Rebounding Ecosystem." It was attended by officials from the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment, the National Heritage Administration, Gyeongsangnam-do, the Upo Wetland Crested Ibis Restoration Support Association, and local residents, all of whom wished for the successful adaptation of the crested ibises to the wild.

During this release, a total of 50 crested ibises were returned to nature: 15 birds were guided out during the event itself, while the remaining 35 were released using a gradual method, with the gates left open to allow them to venture out on their own after further adaptation to the wild.

The released crested ibises were healthy individuals that had completed flight training, human habituation training, and loach hunting exercises for survival in the wild. GPS trackers were attached to 20 of these birds to enable real-time monitoring of their future movements and survival status.

The 11th Upo Crested Ibis Wild Release Event Held.
[Photo by Changnyeong County]

Since the first release in 2019, a total of 440 crested ibises have been released through this event, which marks its 11th year in 2026. Notably, last year, for the first time in six years since the start of the Upo Ttao-gi Wild Release, the successful third-generation breeding of crested ibises hatched in the wild was confirmed.

Shim Sangcheol, acting mayor of Changnyeong County, expressed hope that the crested ibis, now back in the wild, would not only become the mascot of Changnyeong, an ecological city where people and nature coexist, but also serve as a messenger of hope for people across the nation.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.