Ueno Zoo has a long history of keeping Great White Pelican, with the first arrival recorded on November 29, 1920. Although breeding was temporarily interrupted during World War II in 1944, two males and two females arrived on July 20, 1952, and breeding has never been interrupted since. On April 2, 2002, they began to be released into Shinobazu Pond, and a quarter of a century has already passed since then.

However, in 2004, the first outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) was confirmed in Japan, and in recent years, outbreaks have occurred every winter in various parts of the country. Releasing Great White Pelican into Shinobazu Pond during HPAI outbreaks poses a significant risk, so whenever an outbreak occurs somewhere, they are captured and evacuated to a safe indoor facility.

Compared to the vast Shinobazu Pond, the evacuation site is small, and animal welfare (*) is significantly reduced. In addition, there is stress during capture and transport, and we felt that there were limits to continuing this method of keeping them. At that time, we received an offer from Tama Zoo to keep them, so we decided to move them on June 4, 2025. Therefore, although the four hippos currently being kept have been evacuated to the sleeping quarters of the Hippopotamus enclosure in West Garden since October of last year, they will not be seen at Shinobazu Pond again this summer.

The long-standing care of Great White Pelican at Ueno Zoo has now come to an end, and their care will be taken over by Tama Zoo. We would like to express our gratitude for their service at Ueno Zoo over the years.

*Animal welfare: Refers to "the physical and psychological condition of individual animals."


Great White Pelican kept at Shinobazu Pond
[Ueno Zoo West Garden Animal Care and Exhibition Staff]

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(May 26, 2025)