The winners of the 61st Takasaki Prize will be announced on March 14th! An awards ceremony and commemorative lecture will be held at Inokashira Park Zoo. The commemorative lecture will be titled "The Road to Successful Breeding Sumatran Tiger."

The Takasaki Prize, which is awarded to articles and photographs published over the past year in Tokyo Friends of the Zoo 's magazine "Animals and Zoos" (published four times a year), has now been decided.

An awards ceremony and commemorative lecture will be held at Inokashira Park Zoo. Participation is free (park admission fee is required), and no prior registration is necessary. Please come directly to the venue. Everyone is welcome.

What is the Takasaki Prize?

Date and Time

Saturday, March 14, 2026, 13:30-15:00 (tentative) *Registration starts at 13:15

venue

Inokashira Park Zoo Sculpture Museum Building B (Capacity: 80 people, open seating)

Sumatran Tiger rests its belly on a large rock against a backdrop of greenery and a rocky wall, with its front legs extended forward. The right side of its body is visible to the camera, but the tiger's gaze is directed towards us.

Sumatran Tiger "Asa"

Four Sumatran Tiger are in their enclosure. Large rocks have been arranged around them, with the mother and three cubs in separate spots. The cubs appear to be roughly the same size as their mother.

Three puppies born in December 2023
(The male Abadi is on top of the rock, the male Alona is below him, and the female Makumul is in the back left) and their mother Mimpi (front left).

Awards ceremony (13:30)

Organizer's greeting

Award Ceremony

Selection Results Announcement

Award-winning works

Takasaki Prize (1 recipient)

"The Road to Successful Sumatran Tiger Breeding: Rethinking 'Conventional Wisdom'"
Itaru Hirose (at the time of writing: Ueno Zoo, now Tama Zoo)
Hidemasa Takaoka (Ueno Zoo)

Encouragement Award (3 photo submissions)

Koala at Saitama Children's Zoo
Yuri Sato, Cheetah at Yokohama Zoological Gardens Zoorasia.
Hiromi Kashiwa, Sumatran Tiger at Ueno Zoo

Award acceptance speech (14:00)

"The Road to Successful Breeding Sumatran Tiger" (approximately 30 minutes)

Itaru Hirose (Tama Zoo)

The technology for breeding Sumatran Tiger in captivity was not yet established—recognizing this reality, the zoo re-examined the ecology of wild tigers and reconsidered conventional management methods. By exploring factors that induce estrus, such as pair relationships, enclosure areas, and relationships between females, Ueno Ueno Zoo succeeded in breeding Sumatran tigers for the first time in 26 years. What was the process by which the zookeepers re-examined "conventional wisdom" and led to this success? We will tell you about it with photos and videos.

Zoo News Special Edition (14:45)

"Various Recent Topics at Inokashira Park Zoo" (approximately 15 minutes)

Takashi Sugino (Inokashira Park Zoo)

About the Takasaki Prize

The Takasaki Prize was established in 1965 to honor the late Tatsunosuke Takasaki (1885-1964, Director-General of the Economic Planning Agency, Minister of International Trade and Industry), the second president Tokyo Zoological Park Society, who dedicated himself to the development and promotion of zoos. The prize is awarded to articles and photographs published in Tokyo Friends of the Zoo 's magazine, "Animals and Zoos," that are deemed to have made a particularly significant contribution to the development and promotion of zoo operations and the spread of animal welfare.

The article about Sumatran Tiger which won the Takasaki Prize this time, was published in the Spring 2025 issue of "Animals and Zoos".

Animals and Zoos

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Here is the introduction page for Tokyo Friends of the Zoo (anyone can join. Annual membership fees are 2,000 yen for general members and 1,000 yen for junior members).

Introduction page for Tokyo Friends of the Zoo

(March 2, 2026)