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.)
hozen2016@tokyo-zoo.netあてにメールにてお申し込みください。先着順に受け付けます。メールの題名は「保全基金講演会2016」とし、本文に①お名前（ふりがな）、②年齢、③メールアドレス、④電話番号をお書きください。参加証となる参加案内は、受付後、メールにてお返事いたします。なお、1通で複数名のお申し込みも可能です。その場合、代表者以外の方は①お名前（ふりがな）と②年齢をお伝えください。
　※@tokyo-zoo.net および@tzps.or.jp からのメールが受信できるよう迷惑メールフィルターなどの設定をお願いいたします）。なお当日、上野動物園は無料開園日です。

（2016年03月05日）