The Lost Species of Japan

zoogeekmaelstrom

zoogeekmaelstrom

Well-Known Member
Japan, the East's country with the most zoos. And with so many zoos there's bound to be many species. Elephants, polar bears, pandas, giraffes, you name it, are all in Japan. You got your rare kiwi bird, Schmidt's guenons and viscachas sprinkled in the mix. However, animals like South America's maned wolf and the gaur of India are species gone from Japan. Currently, these are species gone from Japanese zoos (not all are listed). Feel free to add to the list and correct me. Also, are there any plans to bring back lost species of Japan? For one I know that the Tama Zoo plans to get back Tasmanian devils.

Sable Antelope
Sloth Bear
Black Backed Jackal
Lowland Paca
Kirk's Dik Dik
Maned Wolf
Gaur
Pronghorn
Lowland Anoa
Bongo Antelope
Persian Leopard
Raggaina Bird of Paradise
Rocky Mountain Goat
Andean Cock of the Rock
Chamois
Ocelot
Moose
Hutia
Steppe Lemming
Mongolian Kulan
Tasmanian Devil (temporarily)
 
Fukumaru, the last captive ribbon seal in Japan, died on September 24 from intestinal infarction.
オホーツクとっかりセンター　アザラシランド on Instagram: ". アザラシランドよりお知らせです。 2024年9月24日にクラカケアザラシの ぷく丸くんが亡くなりました。 ぷく丸くんは今年5月4日に 紋別港内で保護されました。 数日前より食欲が低下した為、治療を行いましたが、 9月24日に飼育員に見守られながら 天国へ旅立ちました。 死因は腸閉塞でした。 ぷく丸くんの飼育は正直難しくて みんなで何度も頭を抱えて悩みました。 一時は回復の兆しも見えていたので、 今思うと飼育員に『大丈夫だよ』と 伝えてくれたのではないかと思っています。 最期までぷく丸は生きようと頑張っていました。 出会ってから短い期間でしたが、 とても濃い時間で、忘れる事はありません。 ぷく丸くんを可愛がって下さった皆様に 改めて、お礼を申し上げますとともに、 「ぷく丸」に感謝の気持ちを表します。 なお、2024年9月26日〜10月27日まで アザラシランド内の休憩室に献花台を設置いたします。 ぷく丸ありがとう。大好きだよ。 飼育員一同 #とっかりセンター#アザラシランド #北海道#紋別#アザラシ#クラカケアザラシ#seal"
 
Enzo said:
Hello. Black tree-kangaroo were held at Tennoji zoo in the 1960s.

Cape buffalo might join the list soon, as they are only held by Asa Zoo in Japan.
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Gunma Safari Park also has them. I don't think they'll be gone anytime soon because a calf was born in Gunma sometime between 2019-2023 I believe.
 
Przewalski horse has a tenuous hold at Tokyo Tama Zoo with Chiba Zoological Park as an outstation for the surplus. Tokyo Tama had 4.6 (start 2024) and Chiba 0.1. The figures have slightly changed now. I have to check the thread elsewhere where I discussed this with local Japan Zoochat forum members and those members with expert knowledge of country and language.

Pere David's deer are on their way out ... as has been discussed in the Hiroshima Asa Zoo thread before. There are only 3.1 individuals left in Japan (Tokyo Tama a lone male, Hiroshima Asa a lone male and Kumamoto with a pair.
 
Kifaru Bwana said:
Przewalski horse has a tenuous hold at Tokyo Tama Zoo with Chiba Zoological Park as an outstation for the surplus. Tokyo Tama had 4.6 (start 2024) and Chiba 0.1. The figures have slightly changed now. I have to check the thread elsewhere where I discussed this with local Japan Zoochat forum members and those members with expert knowledge of country and language.

Pere David's deer are on their way out ... as has been discussed in the Hiroshima Asa Zoo thread before. There are only 3.1 individuals left in Japan (Tokyo Tama a lone male, Hiroshima Asa a lone male and Kumamoto with a pair.
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If breeding doesn’t happen fast, they’ll most likely be out after 2030. The average lifespan of a Pere David’s Deer is 18-22 years.
 
Other rare species most likely to be gone soon are:

Golden Lion Tamarin
Lammergeier
Caspian Seal
Red Capped Cardinal
Drill
Indian Gharial
Eastern White Bearded Wildebeest
Atlantic Puffin
Emperor Tamarin
Common Brushtail Possum
Northern Cassowary
Pin Tailed Whydah
Spectral Tarsier
 
zoogeekmaelstrom said:
Other rare species most likely to be gone soon are:

Golden Lion Tamarin
Lammergeier
Caspian Seal
Red Capped Cardinal
Drill
Indian Gharial
Eastern White Bearded Wildebeest
Atlantic Puffin
Emperor Tamarin
Common Brushtail Possum
Northern Cassowary
Pin Tailed Whydah
Spectral Tarsier
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The Caspian Seal is already gone. It is no longer at Kamogawa, where is probably was the only place held in recent years.

Japan also lost species of Pinnipedias, including Southern Elephant Seal, Northern Elephant Seal, Ribbon Seal, and Australian Sea LIon.

Also, many other aquarium mammals are almost gone, including Sea Otter, Dugong, , all three species of manatees, Commerson's Dolphin and many more.
 
Toki said:
The Caspian Seal is already gone. It is no longer at Kamogawa, where is probably was the only place held in recent years.

Japan also lost species of Pinnipedias, including Southern Elephant Seal, Northern Elephant Seal, Ribbon Seal, and Australian Sea LIon.

Also, many other aquarium mammals are almost gone, including Sea Otter, Dugong, , all three species of manatees, Commerson's Dolphin and many more.
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Very surprising for a country that is famous and well known for its great and diverse public aquaria and focus on marine wildlife.
 
Kifaru Bwana said:
Very surprising for a country that is famous and well known for its great and diverse public aquaria and focus on marine wildlife.
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Yes, Japan has a world-class collection of marine mammals, but stricter legal restrictions are making facilities difficult to introduce new individuals from both overseas facilities and the wild.

A lot of the species are descendants of the population introduced to Japanese aquariums in the 1980s-90s, and it seems difficult to maintain the population in small numbers.
 
Toki said:
Yes, Japan has a world-class collection of marine mammals, but stricter legal restrictions are making facilities difficult to introduce new individuals from both overseas facilities and the wild.

A lot of the species are descendants of the population introduced to Japanese aquariums in the 1980s-90s, and it seems difficult to maintain the population in small numbers.
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Legislation in Japan - and for all intense purposes not just in Japan (I see the same mailings in Europe, North America, Australia ... not to mention Africa, Asia or South America inclusive the Arctic and Antarctic ... PERIOD!!!!!) - should be changed to favour ex situ conservation action and breeding - where there are equally already provisions in international wildlife protection legislation to do so!

In fact, Japanese ex situ facilities should be enabled by Govt. and administrative and legislative authorities to manage both native and exotic wild animal and plant species effectively through less restrictive import and export guidelines and criteria. It should not be an issue for instance to import/export Indian rhino, Malayan tapir, lowland gorilla, African or Asiatic elephants, Siberian/Sumatran tigers, clouded leopard, other smaller felids, deer and antelope


NOTA BENE: In the CITES legislation there are also provisos for captive-breeding or growing plants and flora ex situ, yet it is being politicised against ex situ action and invariably negatively impacts conservation of endangered species in general, yet nothing is done to fund and improve law enforcement TRAFFIC-Network effectively nor provide substantial conservation funding support for in situ conservation, law enforcement, protection and positive action).


AD FINITUM: I see this tunnelvision political posturing by all parties involved in politics where they are "seen" to be doing something ..., yet demonstrate a complete lack of understanding over all the issues, ignore their own negative impacts on the environment, biodiversity, climate and socio-economic sustainable development respectful of nature, outdoors, people and Our Only Healthy Planet ... nor do they provide the funding required to effectively and adequately conserve Our Only Livable Planet!
 
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