Crested ibis had been assumed to be extinct before it was rediscovered in the southern foot of the Qinling Mountains in 1981. Thereafter, the southern foot of the Qinling Mountains is believed to be the most livable place for crested ibis. Tongchuan is the first releasing place in northern foot of the Qinling Mountains since 2013. A total of 62 artificially-bred crested ibis were released to the wild here, with 46 more getting born in the wild.