Twelve second-generation Baer's pochards were released at the Hengshui Lake National Nature Reserve in Hengshui, North China's Hebei province, on Thursday, marking the world's first rewilding release of this critically endangered species.

The birds, four males and eight females, were set free in two batches: six were released directly in the morning, and the other six through a soft-release method in the afternoon, allowing them to enter and exit the cage to adjust to the wild environment gradually.