At the zoo

The other day I went to the Ueno Zoo (Onshi Ueno Doubutuen) which is most famous and old zoo in Japan. It opened on March 20 1882. Wow very old. It is located near Ueno station in Tokyo and convinient to go. There are many kinds of animals -more than 400kinds , one of the place that we can see a Giant panda in Japan.



Watching the animals, I could find the kind of sociality from their movement. For example, a monkey was teaseing others, a gorilla was acting like a middle age woman. (Look the photo!)It is healing power for my mental stress. So nice.


As for the Ueno zoo, I would like write one story.To be honest I was thinking for a while to do, because you may think it political topic, I am afraid that how non-Japanese people think about it. But anyway I determind to tell it finally.

In Japan at summer time the students take the class about war and peace. Because the world war Ⅱfinished on August 15 1945　after twice of the atomic bombing .Then one story was used for the classes often. When I was a child, I listened the story, the book was still published, so far more than 2million copies have sold. This is nonfiction story.

"the poor elephants"
The aerial attacks to Tokyo was getting worse, the goverment decided to kill fierce animals to avoid them runnning from the zoo, and acting violently in the city. Lions and bears were killed. The three elephants nemed "John" ,"Tonky"and" Wanly" had left.
The people who worked at the zoo gave them feed with poison to kill then, they threw up soon. Then they used injections to kill them, their skin was too thick. Finally they decided not to give them feed to make them strving. The three elephants were trying to perform in a desperate attempt to get their feed. At last they died one after another.

Just writing this story makes me cry, this story is true, and many kinds of animals except lions bears and elephants were died mostly for the luck of the feed when the war had ended. There is the memorila place in Ueno zoo, and still now they take place memorial service for the animals.

Sometimes I take it for granted that I can live a life peacefully. But I have to remember just 60years ago the people's living was completly different, I am lucky to be born such a peace situation. I felt like this at the zoo.