Zoo Stock Species and the Red List

Zoo Stock

This indicates that the species is included in the Second Zoo Stock Plan, which was formulated by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government in 2018. The plan sets goals for the next 10 years in three areas: "species conservation," "contribution to wildlife conservation," and "environmental education and conservation awareness." 124 animal species are included.

What is the Red List?

Based on scientific research, this is a list of wildlife classified by rank (category) indicating the degree of risk of extinction.
Livng Things Encyclopedia shows the categories (mainland and islands) assessed by the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) at the global level, the Ministry of the Environment for Japan, and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government for Tokyo.

The higher the category in each table, the higher the risk of extinction, and CR, EN, and VU are the three categories known as "endangered species." In Tokyo, species that are not at the NT (near threatened) level but are relatively rare are considered "species of concern."

IUCN categories
EX	extinction
EW	Extinction in the wild
CR+EN	—
CR	Serious crisis
EN	crisis
VU	emergency
NT	Near Threatened
LC・○	Low Concern
DD	Data shortage
LP	—

Japan (Ministry of the Environment) Category
EX	extinction
EW	Extinction in the wild
CR+EN	Endangered species
CR	Critically Endangered
EN	Endangered species
VU	Endangered species
NT	Near Threatened
LC・○	—
DD	Lack of information
LP	Endangered local population

Tokyo Category
EX	extinction
EW	Extinction in the wild
CR+EN	Endangered species
CR	Critically Endangered
EN	Endangered species
VU	Endangered species
NT	Near Threatened
LC・○	Unranked
DD	Lack of information
LP	Endangered local population

Creatures at Ueno Zoo

Asian Elephant
Elephas maximus

In the wild, elephants live in groups centered around older females, and the baby males eventually leave the group as they grow. Both males and females have tusks, but the females' tusks are short and not easily visible from the outside. In southern Asia, wild elephants have long been domesticated and have been closely associated with human life, being used to carry loads and in festivals.

classification	Mammalia, Proboscidea, Elephantidae
English name	Asian Elephant
distribution	South to Southeast Asia
Residence	forest
Size	Length from forehead to rump: Males 3.5-4.5m, Females 3.0-4.0cm Nose length: about 2m Shoulder height: Males 2.5-3.3m (maximum 3.8m), females 2.4m (maximum 2.6m) Weight: Males 2,500-6,000 kg, Females 2,000-4,500 kg
food	Coarse foods such as bark, leaves, branches, and grass (trees of the families Palmaceae, Palmaceae, Fabaceae, and Boreales, bark, fruit, roots, grass, vines, etc.)
Red List	IUCN: EN (crisis)

Ueno Zoo exhibition area

Ueno Ueno Zoo Elephant Forest

Conservation Information

Their numbers are declining due to the expansion of plantations (large-scale farms) for palm oil, the loss of forest habitat due to lumber use, and the poaching of males for their tusks. Ueno Zoo is working to breed elephants and raise awareness about elephants.

Pay attention to the shape of your nose!

The base of the nose is thick, about the same width as an adult's arms wrapped around a circle. The inside is a mass of muscle, giving it the strength to lift a log. On the other hand, there is a triangular protrusion above the tip of the nose, which can be used like a finger to dexterously pick up even small objects. Just below the protrusion are the two nostrils.

Pay attention to the movement of the nose!

They can gather everything from grass on the ground to leaves from trees 4-5 meters high. They use their noses for everything, not just carrying food and water to their mouths, but also grabbing sand and pouring it over their bodies, bathing in water, communicating with others by touching and smelling them, and searching for and identifying invisible places by smell.

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