Remarkable comeback

China took the rediscovery of the crested ibis seriously and started breeding the birds in captivity in 1991.

Years of unrelenting efforts have yielded promising results. It is estimated that there are now more than 7,000 crested ibises worldwide. In China, the birds' habitat has risen from less than 5 sq km in 1981 to 15,000 sq km today.

According to Liu, there are more than 3,000 crested ibises in Yangxian alone.

"A major challenge in the conservation of this species right now is inbreeding," he said.

Liu said inbreeding is a common problem for every species, but judging from the current situation, it has little impact on the crested ibis.

"But scientists still worry that inbreeding will lead to negative consequences such as a reduction in genetic diversity," Liu said.

The good news is that from the very beginning, Chinese scientists paid attention to the issue and started to breed the birds in different locations, trying to avoid inbreeding as much as possible.

"We breed crested ibises here in Yangxian, and in other places, starting with the Beijing Zoo," Liu said. "It's important that you do not put all your eggs into one basket."

In the 1990s, China donated five of the birds to help the species breed in Japan. In return, Japan has supported protection of the crested ibis' habitat in China through both governmental and non-governmental projects.

Japan artificially bred crested ibises from pairs brought to the country from China.

Liu said, "Properly balancing the relationship between species protection and human development is a subject for our long-term exploration in the future," adding that such work goes beyond the scope of biology and wildlife conservation.

"I have a special connection to the crested ibis and have decided to live with the bird for the rest of my life," said the retired avian expert, who returned to Yangxian three years ago, where he still lives.

A group photo taken in July, 2019, hangs on a wall in his living room. Liu sits in the center of the front row, holding a bouquet and celebrating his birthday with some 50 crested ibis researchers from around the country.

Xinhua's China Chat Studio exclusively for China Daily