Inokashira Park Zoo has celebrated its 84th anniversary.

Thanks to your support, Inokashira Park Zoo (hereinafter referred to as "Park") has reached its 84th anniversary. We express our sincere gratitude.

The other day, I had some business to attend to at Ueno Zoo. Despite it being a weekday, there were many visitors. I was particularly struck by the large number of foreign visitors and adults. On the other hand, when I returned to the cultural park and walked around, I saw many families with small children, which reminded me once again that Inokashira Park has the charm of being surrounded by greenery and a safe place to spend time with small children.

Well, time flies, and it's already been over a year since I took up my post last April. During this time, we've welcomed new animals such as Capybara, Raccoon Dog, Japanese Hare, and Fennec Fox. In addition to completing renovations to the penguin enclosure in the main park and the Call Duck enclosure in the annex, we've also succeeded in breeding Tokyo Daruma Pond Frog for the first time in seven years.

The Cultural Park is not just a zoo; it also has playgrounds, a sports area, a wild flower garden, a sculpture garden, and more. There's also a "Creature Plaza," a place where I can encounter the natural environment and creatures I experienced in my childhood. I think the Cultural Park has a variety of attractions.

Also, this year marks 10 years since the death of Hanako, Asian Elephant elephant. In my article for last year's anniversary of the zoo's opening, I mentioned that I used to work as animal keeper in Aquatic Life House. At the time, I worked with a senior zookeeper who was actually Hanako's former caretaker. I often heard him talk about Hanako during breaks. A few years later, he returned to being Hanako's caretaker and was entrusted with her care until his retirement. After that, I was transferred to Izu Oshima, but I remember that the letters I received from him were always filled with stories about Hanako.

Lastly, one of my favorite phrases is "Fueki Ryuko" (不易流). It means preserving good old traditions while also challenging ourselves with new things and incorporating them without fear of failure. I would like to put this into practice here at Inokashira as well.

[Takashi Sugino, director Inokashira Park Zoo]