​​​​​​ISTANBUL

Japan’s first captive-bred crested Ibis, a large avian designated a natural treasure in the country, has died at the age of 26, the Environment Ministry said Wednesday.

The bird named Yu Yu was born in May 1999 at a conservation center on Sado Island in the Niigata prefecture, Kyodo News reported.

He was the offspring of a pair of ibis gifted by China, named You You and Yang Yang, in early 1999.

His birth was welcomed in Japan as the nation had been trying to artificially breed the species since 1981, after the birds went extinct in the wild because of hunting and habitat loss.

Following Yu Yu’s death Monday, Niigata Gov. Hideyo Hanazumi said the crested ibis played a "big role" in restoring the populations of wild birds in Japan.

The ministry said the number of crested ibises in the wild in the country is believed to be 576 as of the end of 2024.