The monkey enclosure at Tama Zoo opened on May 5, 1968, to commemorate the park's 10th anniversary. This year, May 5, 2018, marks the 50th anniversary of the monkeys' opening.

Currently, this monkey mountain is home to 68 Japanese Japanese Macaque: 36 females and 32 males. The founding members of this group were 29 individuals (16 females and 13 males) who arrived from the Japan Monkey Center in Inuyama City, Aichi Prefecture, on March 16, 1968. A simple calculation shows that the population has increased by approximately 2.3 times in 50 years. Of course, during that time, dozens or so individuals were also transferred to zoos in Japan and overseas.

The oldest individual in the monkey enclosure is a female named Midori, who is 30 years and 9 months old as of January 2018. Midori was born on May 12, 1987, as the third child of Fumi. Fumi, in turn, is the seventh child of Fushi, who was born on March 8, 1979. Fushi was one of the founding individuals in 1968.

Having experienced more than half of the long history of the monkey mountain, Midori's hind legs have become a little weaker, but she always takes care of her daughter, Suboya, and lives happily and harmoniously with the other members of the group.


From left to right: Suboya, Furikake (whose face is hidden but is being held by Suboya), and next to them is Midori.
In the spring of 2017, a total of six baby macaques were born, including Suboya's sixth child. Then, after the annual mass capture on December 6, 2017, the names of the six babies were decided. The naming is suggested each year by members of Japanese Macaque macaque team of Tokyo Zoo volunteers, based on a different theme.

Last year's naming theme was "accompaniments to rice." As a result, the six fish were named "Rakkyo," "Ikura," "Mentai-ko," "Aonori," "Furikake," and "Mirinboshi." Of these, Furikake is the daughter of Suboya and the fifth generation of the Fushi family.

[Tama Zoo Tama Zoological Park]

(January 13, 2018)