News

On March 14, we had a lecture given by Gen Bando who is the curator at the Asahiyama Zoo in Hokkaido. All the 2nd grade students of our JHS listened carefully to his interesting stories about animals.

Asahiyama Zoo is located in a rural part of Hokkaido and it was once going to be closed about 20 years ago because the number of visitors became very low.
Gen Bando and his staff changed the zoo, so that visitors can see animals as they really live. Visitors can see not only what a dolphin is but how a dolphin swims and lives.
Since then this zoo has become famous and a lot of people visit there every year, now. The number of visitors a year is either the second or third most in Japan every year.

In his speech he put emphasis on the fact that all the lives on earth are closely connected with each other through the food chain. Human beings are just one of them.

He also emphasized that death is a natural part of an animal's life. Visitors at a zoo had better know the reality in a natural way. At his zoo, when an animal dies, they
make a poster saying, for example, "One of our elephants has died. We are in　mourning."

He suggested that human beings, as well as animals, need obstacles, hardships, or
crises in order to grow stronger and cleverer. They find new ways or master new skills. He also says that excessive indulgences spoil a child.