Japanese Serow was born.

A Japanese Serow serow was born at Inokashira Park Zoo on Monday, September 21, 2026. It is female.

The circumstances leading up to its creation

The offspring born this time may be the offspring of a female named "Suzuna" and a male named "Natsu," who was born to Suzuna in July 2025.

The mother, Suzuna, had given birth for four consecutive years since 2021, and this year, in order to manage her health, we decided not to breed her. Therefore, we kept Suzuna's male partner, "Mumu," separately from her from September 2025 to April 2026, when the breeding season began.

Meanwhile, Natsu, born to Suzuna in July 2025, grew steadily, and around five months of age, she began exhibiting behaviors that resembled mating postures towards her mother. This behavior is commonly seen at this stage of development. Furthermore, Japanese Serow typically begin breeding in captivity around 1.5 years of age, and separating Natsu from her mother before she could become independent would be extremely stressful for her. Considering these factors, the mother and child continued to live together. Based on the birth date and gestation period, it is estimated that mating occurred around February 2026, which is normally the non-breeding season for serows.

Based on this case, we will reconsider our methods for raising Japanese Serow in the future, and at the same time, we will strive to manage the health of the newborn and its mother, Suzuna.

Current situation of mother and child

Currently, the mother and calf are in a reserve enclosure located some distance from the main path for health monitoring. We plan to change their exhibit location once the calf's condition stabilizes.

Current status of animal care at our zoo (as of October 2, 2026)

4 individuals (2 males, 2 females) *This includes the offspring born this time.

Breeding situation in Japan (as of December 31, 2025)

19 zoos/aquariums, 39 animals (21 males, 18 females)
Source: 2025 Japanese Serow Domestic Pedigree Registry [Japan Japanese Association of Zoos and Aquariums]