The crested ibis was originally a common bird and is widely distributed. In the 20th century, due to the destruction of wetlands and the abuse of fertilizers and pesticides, their numbers decreased dramatically, disappeared from most places, and were once almost delisted by the earth.
In 1981, Chinese scientists found the world's last 7 wild crested ibises, 4 adult birds and 3 chicks in YangXian County, Shaanxi Province. The 7 crested ibises were immediately protected in all directions. To give the species a lifespan, scientists have chosen to protect them in situ. Staff guard them day and night. Afraid that the large chicks would bully the small ones, and even push the small ones down the nest, they set up protective nets under the nest to prevent the chicks from falling to the ground; the trunks of the trees where they inhabit were also equipped with blades and greased, for fear that snakes and weasels would sneak up on them.
Crested ibises often settle near swamps and paddy fields, prey on small fish and shrimp in wetlands, and are very sensitive to agricultural pollution. In order to provide better habitat for the seven crested ibises, human activities around the trees where the crested ibises nest are also restricted: trees cannot be cut down casually, pesticides and fertilizers cannot be used, and the area of natural wetlands and paddy fields is expanded as much as possible. The crested ibises were timid and afraid of people, afraid of noise, and the staff once asked the locals to take a detour and forbade firecrackers.
These protections alone were not enough, and the number of crested ibises did not rise significantly in the first few years, and in order to better protect them, staff placed some of them incubated and reared in artificial environments.
Under the persistent protection of the staff, the number of crested ibises gradually increased. In 2005, the first crested ibises sanctuary was established locally. The captive ibises are also released into the wild in batches and added to the growing population. At present, the number of crested ibises around the world has increased to more than 5,000, becoming the lucky representative of "endangered species that have been saved".
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