Toba Aquarium Toba Aquarium

[Toki]

Is there any possibility that Japan as a major marine and acquatic mammal exhibitor (at various, if not quite a few collections) may be able to import any dugong or African manatee?

As far as I know, importing is not a big issue for these species. It's rather a problem with exporting from the country of origin.

For dugongs, there is still a small population left in southern Japan, so a rescued individual from there will be the highest chance.

For manatees, it will be possible if some overseas facility offers captive individuals.

 

[Wanderer]

A cool documentary about sea otter care at Toba aquarium. Mei is already 21, and Kira is 17... there's not much time left to see them.

 

[Veno]

The Taiwan giant isopod, Bathynomus jamesi, is currently on display in Japan for the first time.
日本初展示！タイワンダイオウグソクムシ | 鳥羽水族館　飼育日記

 

[Veno]

The new president of Toba Aquarium has expressed his intention to continue coordinating with relevant organizations to keep sea otters.
The current exhibit was originally built to comply with the U.S. Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 and the Marine Mammal Regulations of 1979, but under today’s standards, bringing in new animals would be difficult.
Hopefully, a new, larger facility will eventually allow the aquarium to receive sea otters from the United States, as some European countries already do.
According to recent reports from JAZA, they are working toward an agreement with the Alaska SeaLife Center on joint conservation efforts.

 

[DaLilFishie]

The Taiwan giant isopod, Bathynomus jamesi, is currently on display in Japan for the first time.
日本初展示！タイワンダイオウグソクムシ | 鳥羽水族館　飼育日記

I do wonder how many Bathynomus species are kept in Japan... they're typically labelled as B. giganteus and B. doederleinii, but I've heard that "B. giganteus" from the Pacific (probably where most Japanese facilites' specimens originate) are probably an undescribed species, or a complex of undescribed species.