Four AIRA representatives visited Yamashina Institute for Ornithology to make a donation on December 19th. AIRA’s contribution came from the profits by selling Aho-dori manju (steamed red-bean-paste buns with a stamped albatross on the top) and donations by AIRA members at the 26th Abiko International Festival on November 26th.  (No. 17-23)

Date and Time: December 19,2017 (Tue.) 15:00 - 15:20
Place: Yamashina Institute for Ornithology (The Director General’s office)
Attendees: Yamashina Institute for Ornithology
   Mr.Masatoshi Hojo (Secretary-General),
   Mr.Takashi Hiraoka (Public Relations)
AIRA
   Mr.Koichi Murakoshi (Vice President)
   Ms.Fumiko Kitajima (Vice President)
   Mr.Takayuki Nakamura (Public Relations)
   Ms.Miyako Sakazume  (Secretariat)

The bird laboratory has been engaged in the conservation program of short-tailed albatross since pre-WWII. They relocated the reportedly extinct birds from Torishima of Izu Islands, their last habitat, to Mukojima of Ogasawara Archipelago, making an attempt to revive the breeding place of the endangered species.

AIRA, a supporter of this program, sells the manju at the International Festival, aiming at enhancing international understanding through letting people know the endangered birds.

At present, some baby birds of the albatross which left the nest at Mukojima island in 2008 are confirmed at Torishima and others returned to their birth-island. The number of birds has increased approximately from 10 to 4500.

If you want to know more about the birds in Mukojima, please visit a biologist, Siri Hakala’s blog “A Week on Mukojima”. He came to Japan from the United States on a training program in March 2017.
The below is the URL of The Yamashina Institute for Ornithology:

http://www.yamashina.or.jp/hp/english/index.html

(Translated by Hitomi Koyama)