In order to spread the idea of ​​`` animal welfare '' that reduces the burden on the animals being raised as much as possible so that they can act comfortably, the Japan Association of Zoos and Aquariums will improve the breeding environment of zoos and other facilities nationwide from this year. We will investigate and start working on improvements.

"Animal Welfare" and "Animal Welfare" are based on the concept of ensuring that animals in captivity are as healthy, comfortable and pain-free as possible. In recent years, zoos around the world have placed particular emphasis on reproducing the forests of Sichuan, China, where they live.

Furthermore, from the perspective of animal protection, it is becoming more difficult to import rare animals every year, and there are more and more opportunities to question how the breeding environment is maintained.



Under these circumstances, the Japan Association of Zoos and Aquariums, which is made up of about 140 zoos and aquariums in Japan, has decided to start a new initiative to investigate the breeding environment of zoos and other facilities nationwide and improve it.



The survey was evaluated on approximately 90 items, including the securing of a rearing space that allows for natural movement in the wild, including the backyard, the presence or absence of obstacles that could lead to injury, and a system for recording and managing food nutrition and animal health. increase.

This year, we plan to start surveys at 10 facilities nationwide, including Ueno Zoo and Tama Zoological Park in Tokyo, and Tennoji Zoo in Osaka.



The Japan Association of Zoos and Aquariums says, ``Zoos have tended to be limited to viewing and enjoying, but they also have a mission to contribute to the conservation of species, and we aim to create an environment where animals can live comfortably.''

"Animal Welfare" for Importing Rare Animals

Whether or not the breeding environment of the zoo is in place from the perspective of "animal welfare" and "animal welfare" is greatly related to the import of rare animals.



International trade in rare animals is regulated by the Washington Convention, and imports of animals are mainly carried out by capturing them from the wild and trading with zoos around the world.

However, the current situation is that the laws and standards of the exporting country are in place, and the hurdles to capturing from the wild are high.



For this reason, domestic zoos are promoting breeding by connecting with overseas zoos and lending and borrowing animals.

However, the breeding environment based on the concept of "animal welfare" is rigorously screened when importing, so we were unable to meet the standards required by our business partners. It means that there were also cases where



As imports become more difficult year by year, various problems are emerging in Japan, such as the aging of animals and the inability to promote breeding due to unbalanced pedigrees.



Director Hirofumi Watanabe of Tokyo's Tama Zoological Park, who leads new initiatives as the chairman of the Japan Association of Zoos and Aquariums, said, "Without efforts to improve animal welfare, we will not be able to maintain international exchanges of animals and species. Considering that we trust each other to care for and manage the animals and lead to breeding, this initiative is extremely important."

Breeding environment close to the wild

There are also zoos throughout Japan that have succeeded in attracting tourists by adopting the concept of "animal welfare" and "animal welfare," which allows animals to move naturally.



Among them, the prefectural Noichi Zoological Park in Konan City, Kochi Prefecture divides the park into four geographical environments such as "tropical" and "jungle", and has a "biome exhibition" where animals are raised in an environment that is close to the wild. It uses a method called

Giraffes and zebras in the savannah, which live in the same place in the wild, are raised together on a large site, and artificial squalls are periodically made to recreate the jungle.



These efforts have been successful, and in 2019 and 2020, the major travel information site “Trip Advisor” from the United States ranked No. 1 in the ranking of tourist reviews.

Many of the reviews say, "Animals live freely in the midst of nature."

Noichi Zoological Park, which is undergoing renovations due to aging, is scheduled to undergo a survey by the Japan Association of Zoos and Aquariums from next year. I think it will be checked according to the standards. The way of thinking about the exhibition is also changing rapidly, so I would like to evolve while leaving the pillar as the first."