Observe Japanese crested ibis being born and bred at this facility
At Toki Forest Park, you can observe the rare toki whose numbers have been greatly reduced. In the Toki Materials Exhibition Hall, there is information displayed on matters such as knowledge, understanding, conservation and breeding on toki via panels, video and sound. In addition to stuffed and skeletal models of the bird, initiatives such as increased protection and returning the toki to the wild are also introduced. You can also view the stuffed model of Kin, the ibis which had been the last of its kind in the country.
The adjacent Sado Toki Conservation Center which was successful in breeding toki
The toki, which had once lived everywhere in Japan, went extinct in 2003 due to changes in its natural habitat from overfishing and the modernization of agriculture. However, at the Sado Toki Conservation Center which is located next to the park, there was successful breeding of an identical species of toki which had been donated as a gift from China. In fact, it was so successful that the birds have been released into the wild. Through old farming methods and natural conservation efforts on Sado Island which has been designated as a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System in one of only 31 nations as of 2015 to have been designated as such, the toki have returned to the skies of Japan. The Sado Toki Conservation Center can be viewed beyond the glass of the observation gallery. Adorable toki chicks can be seen inside their cages where they are carefully raised.
Get up close and personal at the Toki Rapport Plaza
Within the huge cage where toki have plenty of space to fly about, the birds can be observed in their natural state. The ideal habitat for the toki have been recreated within the cage through consideration of their behavioral patterns with the positioning of plants, water and the dry wood where they would roost. If you are lucky, you can even see them within a distance of a mere 2 cm when they swoop down from the trees and forage through the mud.