Kyoto Municipal Zoo Kyoto Municipality zoo

Correct, zoo management in Japanese zoos in the past tended to only exhibit gorillas singly or in pair situations and consequently most did not breed at all. Animal exchanges of high profile species really was the last thing on their minds.

Only Kyoto Zoo had some early breeding success in this set up and on October 29, 1970 their first gorilla baby, a male was born to a wild-born pair. This captive-born male (Makk.) later also bred to another wildborn female and their female offspring (born 1986) is actually the current breeding female Genki. Their breeding male Momotaro (born 1990) is actually a Tokyo Ueno Zoo born male.

In the last decade Japanese zoos have slowly started to introduce modern husbandry and animal management practices and several gorillas were exchanged to create proper social family groups. However, by this time quite number of gorillas were either already elderly, post reproductive or so behaviorally maladjusted that breeding of the species only marginally increased. The only current zoos with a breeding group in a family setting are Tokyo Ueno Zoo (Their breeding silverback is an Apenheul born male Haoko) and Nagoya Higashiyama Zoo (their silverback is the infamous Shabani).
 
The Kyoto city zoo is sending 2.0 bush dogs to koube and 0.1 bush dogs to hirakawa zoo for a breeding loan. All three animals are siblings whose mother and father are from Sweden and Denmark respectively to increase the gd of bush dogs of Japanese zoos.
 
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The zoo has started a crowdfunding campaign to help renovate the primate area of the zoo. The current facilities are borderline dilapidated, and the zoo wants to provide space for the species to display natural behaviors (such as fission fusion behavior for chimpanzees). The monkey island is 87 years old and the ape house is 55.

The zoo wishes to raise 50 million Japanese yen.

link to the crowdfunding page (includes pictures of current state buildings, select individual animals kept, and plans for the future)
 
The zoo has started a crowdfunding campaign to help renovate the primate area of the zoo. The current facilities are borderline dilapidated, and the zoo wants to provide space for the species to display natural behaviors (such as fission fusion behavior for chimpanzees). The monkey island is 87 years old and the ape house is 55.

The zoo wishes to raise 50 million Japanese yen.

link to the crowdfunding page (includes pictures of current state buildings, select individual animals kept, and plans for the future)
Unfortunately the zoo didn’t reach its goal of fifty million yen. The zoo was able to raise almost 31 million yen ($206388.42 under the current exchange rate of yen to US dollars). While this two hundred thousand dollars is nothing the scoff at, I assume that the zoo won’t be able to focus on all of the primates. It is quite unfortunate that a municipal zoo has to resort to crowd funding in the first place.
 
Unfortunately the zoo didn’t reach its goal of fifty million yen. The zoo was able to raise almost 31 million yen ($206388.42 under the current exchange rate of yen to US dollars). While this two hundred thousand dollars is nothing the scoff at, I assume that the zoo won’t be able to focus on all of the primates. It is quite unfortunate that a municipal zoo has to resort to crowd funding in the first place.
I hope they stick with funding drive a little longer. If they started this October and managed 31 million yen over 1 month ..., why not?

I do agree that it is not a good sign that the Municipality nor any major foundation fundors and investors come forward to pay for much needed renovations in fit for purpose modern age zoo exhibits for primates (and Carnivora and Artiodactyla)!
 
A correction: the project for the primate area does include a tunnel connecting the gorilla house to the upgraded chimp exhibit, so that the gorillas can have access to new areas. Other than that, the gorilla house will seemingly be left untouched by the project.
 
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