Koala food Difficult to secure salt damage to eucalyptus Kagoshima Hirakawa Zoo September 24, 21:11
At Hirakawa Zoo in Kagoshima City, which breeds the largest number of koalas in Japan, the damage caused by the withering of eucalyptus leaves, which are grown in the park as food for koalas, is spreading.
The people concerned are having difficulty in securing food because it seems that the cause is salt damage caused by the approaching typhoon.
Hirakawa Zoo in Kagoshima City began exhibiting koalas for the first time in Japan in 1984, and currently breeds the largest number of 10 koalas in Japan, along with the zoo in Saitama Prefecture.
In the zoo, in addition to cultivating eucalyptus, which is the food for koalas, 10,000 trees are cultivated by outsourcing to farmers, but after typhoon No. 10 approaches earlier this month, the leaves die. It turned out that is spreading.
It is believed that the cause is salt damage caused by seawater being rolled up by strong winds, and the zoo is struggling to find undamaged leaves.
In addition, the growth of leaves slows down in winter, raising concerns about food shortages.
"I haven't had this much damage lately. I'm worried that there will be no more damage because it's the typhoon season, but I'd like to secure eucalyptus somehow," said Fuko Sakurai, chief of the breeding exhibition at Hirakawa Zoo. ..