Eight crested ibises have been released into the wild in a north-central Japanese town, decades after going extinct in the country. The endangered birds took off from their wooden cages Sunday during a ceremony in Hakui city. Residents cheered as the birds soared into the sky when Crown Prince Akishino and other officials cut a ribbon. The birds were raised at a conservation center on Sado Island following a successful captive-breeding program. They went extinct on the Honshu main island in the 1970s due to overhunting and environmental degradation. Ten more birds are waiting to be released.