Inokashira Park Zoo began keeping Amur Leopard Cat in 2000. They have also been working on breeding them, and the offspring have been sent to zoos in Japan and South Korea.

Leveraging our breeding expertise, we have been participating since 2006 in Tsushima Leopard Cat conservation and breeding project, a joint initiative between Japanese Association of Zoos and Aquariums and Aquariums and the Ministry of the Environment. In "The Leopard animal keeper 's Animal Diary" [※], we have discussed various aspects of their behavior and points to observe, but this time we will introduce "A Hot Summer Day."

This summer was even hotter than last year, and July in particular was extremely hot for both animal keeper and the animals. We've seen an increase in young people carrying handheld fans around town, and we've even seen news reports of students at a junior high school in Tokyo wearing fan-equipped vests to and from school.

Heat countermeasures at the zoo include sunshades, misting, ice, fans, and air conditioning, and the environment is adjusted according to the exhibit area and building structure of each animal. In the exhibit area for the three Amur Leopard Cat brothers, fans are used to provide airflow in addition to sunshades, but the most effective method this summer was the old-fashioned "sprinkling water." In the morning, after cleaning the enclosure and checking the condition of the droppings, a slightly larger amount of water is sprinkled on the ground.


Watered ground
Wildcats are well aware of where the cool spots are, and when the sprinkled water seeps into the ground and cools it down, they slowly walk over and lie down. Sometimes you can observe them resting with their bellies on the ground, and other times lying on their backs.


A wildcat resting on the cold ground.

A wildcat lying down and resting
Summer is almost over... Take a close look at how wildcats spend the hot summer.

[Inokashira Park Zoo Animal Care and Exhibition Staff, Karasawa]

^ ◎Animal diary
・ Tsushima Leopard Cat animal keeper consider "feces" to be important!! (June 8, 2018)
・ Wildcats: Messages from their feces (November 21, 2024)
・ Wildcat animal keeper 's Animal Diary No. 3 ~Momo the Tsushima Leopard Cat Wildcat~ (January 12, 2025)
・ Wildcat animal keeper Animal Diary No. 4 (May 18, 2025)

(September 8, 2025)