The number of animals kept in a zoo changes daily. Some animals are born, some die, some animals come in from other zoos, and some leave.

One of the important tasks of a zoo is to keep track of the number of animals and manage their individual information. At Tama Zoo, this job is handled by a "coordination officer."

So how does the coordinator know if the number of animals has increased or decreased? When the number of animals increases or decreases, the animal caretaker submits a "Number of Animals in Charge Form" or a "Number of Animals in Charge Form" (referred to as "blue paper" and "red paper" respectively based on the color of the paper) to the coordinator. The coordinator then uses these blue and red papers to learn about the increase or decrease in the number of animals.


Documents for individual information management
In addition, at the end of each month, the animal caretakers create a "number sheet" showing how many of each animal are in each enclosure. The coordinating staff compares this number sheet with the submitted blue and red forms to check for any errors and compiles a list of the number of animal species and animals kept at the end of the month. Questions about animal numbers are answered based on this list.

Once we've compiled a list of the number of animals we're raising at the end of the month, we create "individual cards" for the new animals. These individual cards include various information such as the date of birth, name, sex, identification mark, microchip number, information about the parents, the place where the animal was adopted, the pedigree registration number, and the name of the animal shelter where it is being kept.

First, an individual animal card is created based on the submitted blue form. If any additional information needs to be added, the owner is asked to submit a "Change/Addition Form for Animal Individual Card Information" (blank form), and the coordinator will fill it in on the individual animal card. Also, if the animal's location within the zoo changes, the owner is asked to submit a "Transfer Form within the Zoo" (yellow form).

In this way, we ensure that the individual animal cards always reflect the latest information. It is springtime, and while the animal keepers are naturally busy with the breeding season, the coordinators also receive a large number of blue papers, making it a busy time for them as well.

[Yoko Nakazawa Tama Zoo Coordination Section]

(April 15, 2016)