Society
Over 10,000 Short-Tailed Albatross Return to Japanese Island After Near Extinction
Japan's Yamashina Institute reports the short-tailed albatross population on Torishima Island has exceeded 10,000 for the first time since the species was rediscovered 75 years ago. The endangered bird, once hunted nearly to extinction, now numbers about 10,200 after a record breeding season. Experts caution that volcanic risks and shifting ocean conditions still threaten the species.