Tokyo Zoological Park Society Wildlife Conservation Fund provides grants to support the activities of those engaged in wildlife conservation. To raise awareness of conservation activities that have received grants, we will be holding a lecture. The venue is located within Ueno Zoo.

There will be two lectures. The conservation targets are Rock Ptarmigan and the Okinawa rail. Registration is on a first-come, first-served basis. Please register early!(→Registration is now closed as the maximum number of participants has been reached.)

Date and time of event / Location

Date and time: March 20, 2016 (Sunday) 13:30-15:30
Location: 3rd floor of the management office inside Ueno Zoo
Target audience: 50 people (junior high school age and older)

Lecture 1: The Current Situation and Future of Rock Ptarmigan– Physiological Research for Zoo Rearing and Breeding

Lecturer: Tetsushi Kusuda (Associate Professor, Faculty of Applied Biological Sciences, Gifu University)

The Japanese rock Rock Ptarmigan, which inhabits only the alpine regions of the Chubu Mountains, is facing extinction. In 2012, the Ministry of the Environment announced a conservation and breeding program, and even before that, zoos had been using Svalbard rock Rock Ptarmigan to pioneer the establishment of breeding techniques and research toward the ex-situ conservation of the Japanese Rock Ptarmigan. As part of this effort, I will introduce an overview of the physiological research that we have been conducting with zoos. In addition, I will discuss our efforts in breeding research with zoos on various rare species.

◎Instructor Profile
Graduated from the Department of Animal Resource Science, College of Bioresource Sciences, Nihon University, and completed graduate studies at Gifu University. Holds a PhD in Agriculture. Currently an Associate Professor at the Department of Animal Reproduction, Faculty of Applied Biological Sciences, Gifu University. Specializes in the reproductive physiology of zoo animals. After working as a temporary employee of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government (Tama Zoo) and a special researcher at the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, he assumed his current position in 2008. External member of the Biodiversity Committee Japanese Association of Zoos and Aquariums.

Lecture 2: Connecting the Okinawa Rail to the Future – Breeding Techniques to Save Endangered Species

Lecturer: Yumiko Nakatani (NPO Animal Hospital Okinawa)

Less than 30 years after its discovery in 1981, the Okinawa Rail's population plummeted to around 700 individuals, making it the most endangered bird species endemic to Japan. Faced with the worst-case scenario of extinction by 2010, government, private sector, and residents worked together to save the Okinawa Rail. Currently, the Okinawa Rail population has recovered to around 1,500 individuals. I will talk about the breeding techniques developed to avert extinction and the conservation activities undertaken.

◎Instructor Profile
Veterinarian. Born in Yamaguchi Prefecture. After completing a master's program at the Graduate School of Bioresource and Environmental Sciences, Kyushu University, she graduated from the Department of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Agriculture, Gifu University. For the past 10 years, she has been working at the non-profit organization Animal Hospital Okinawa, where she is in charge of captive breeding of the Okinawa Rail.

How to apply

(→Registration is now closed as the maximum number of participants has been reached.)
Please apply by email to hozen2016@tokyo-zoo.net. Applications will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. The subject line of your email should be "Conservation Fund Lecture 2016," and in the body of the email, please include ① your name (with phonetic spelling), ② your age, ③ your email address, and ④ your phone number. After receiving your application, you will receive a confirmation email with your participation details. You can apply for multiple people in one email. In that case, please provide ① your name (with phonetic spelling) and ② your age for each person other than the representative.
(Please adjust your spam filter settings to allow emails from @tokyo-zoo.net and @tzps.or.jp.) Also, admission to Ueno Zoo is free on that day.

(March 5, 2016)