April begins today. Spring is in full swing. Animals are actively moving around, and plants are growing rapidly. The Japanese evergreen oak saplings that we planted in the park last month will surely grow strong and healthy.

Now, these Japanese evergreen oak trees weren't planted for the sake of the park's scenery. So why were they planted? They were planted to provide food for the animals. As we mentioned in our news report on May 19, 2017, we've been planting Japanese evergreen oak trees, which are in high demand as animal food, since 2015. Now, seven years later, we'd like to share an update on our activities since then.


Mature seedling (3 years after planting)
In 2017, as reported in the news, we planted 50 saplings in the same location as in 2016. The following year, in 2018, we planted 30 more in a different location, and in 2019, another 30 in yet another location, steadily increasing the number of trees. Although some saplings failed to take root and withered, most grew well, and after about three years, they grew large enough to be used to cut branches for bait. If we let them grow any larger, we will be able to harvest even more branches, but if they get too big, it will become difficult to cut the upper branches.

Therefore, in 2020, we carried out pruning work on trees that were in their third and fourth years since planting. By cutting them at an easy height, new branches that grow from there can also be cut at an easy height. We asked staff from the department that manages the plants for guidance and carried out the work while learning about pruning methods. Of course, the animals ate the cut branches.


Pruning work in progress
Since then, we planted another 30 saplings in 2021, and last month we planted another 35. We will continue planting trees steadily, with the ultimate goal of planting around 300 trees in the park. Our activities have been gradually gaining momentum since we started, but there are still many challenges to overcome before we can establish them further. We will continue our efforts to overcome these challenges one by one, working hard for the sake of the animals.


Seedlings planted in 2021
[Tama Zoo- Coordination Officer / Currently South Garden Animal Care and Exhibition Officer, Nakazawa]

(April 1, 2022)