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Japan zoo says missing squirrel numbers no mystery

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So they have no idea?

0 ( +2 / -2 )

Um, so they buy food and "look after" these animal but haven't a clue how many? Pretty poor management if that is the case.

-2 ( +2 / -4 )

This is like the third article about the squirrels in 2 days. This is a fast-breaking story.

Now at last, things seem to be getting cleared up and the truth brought to light. "We don't know how many... because they keep on reproducing on us."

Absolutely beautiful.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

I am glad we have a picture of one of the squirrels and his nut so that we can better understand the issues central to this issue.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

Scurrilous.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

I wonder how many ended up in someone's stew pot.

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

Oh the logic, and when they catch 50 they will say oh 50 must have escaped... How can a zoo expect us to believe they do not know how many animals it has. Oh wait that's right this is Japan nuff said.

-4 ( +0 / -4 )

They wouldnt know their their squirrels from Rses , not uncommon for people running something here to have no idea of what they are supposed to be doing or mismanaging.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

i hope this will reveal what a terrible state many of Japan's zoos are in. There's a zoo in Iida, Nagano, where I saw warthogs living in their own feces and rows of tiny cages containing birds that were way too big to be in them. The zoo was tiny, dirty, old and had barely any visitors. Small towns should not be allowed to open their own zoos. I especially if the zoos are just funded by donations.

-2 ( +2 / -4 )

For those people who complain about other people who can't do anything else except post messages about how foolish the Japanese are and how silly life in Japan is, my answer is this: They might not be posting so many sarcastic comments if stories like this weren't so prominently placed on this website. C'mon, at least two different squirrel stories placed near the top of the page in the last couple of days? It's a minor human interest story, that's all. It's cute, but it doesn't mean a hill of beans (or even acorns). The last-minute cancellation of the Japan-South Korea pact is far, far more important -- it warranted stories in both the Washington Post and the New York Times -- but it was only worth a small headline on JT far down the page. The size of the headline and the placement of the story should reflect the importance of the story. Right?

6 ( +8 / -2 )

So going by that logic and that poor record-keeping, if a tree fell over onto the snakes' enclosure and they said 30 poisonous snakes had escaped, it could actually be 40 or 50? How about other deadly creatures like crocodiles, or lions even?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

"Newsman" above is being too serious. Hasn't he ever seen newspapers that try to have at least one bright story on page one almost every day. Sometimes it's difficult to do, but they seem to do it somehow.

As for squirrels ... I think they're cute and enjoy seeing them scurrying about doing their nut-gathering business ... as they did in my hometown in Maryland (my neighbors who had squirrels running about in their attic had a different outlook on this, however). Anyway, a squirrel-a-day story for two days' running breaks up the more seriousness of the news.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

They ought to free those 8 hostages immediately.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

"“We say more than 40 squirrels must have gotten away in the first place,”

Except that that's NOT what you said at all -- you said 30. Seems this zoo is about as well managed as most zoos in Japan, be it a zoo that should be closed down due to how poorly the animals are kept or someone piling snow high enough for tigers to get out and maul people. The zoo in Hokkaido is the ONLY exception for zoos in Japan, and even that one doesn't rank anywhere near zoos like The Toranga Zoo in Sydney, or the zoos in Singapore or Toronto.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

Wow that's a weight off my mind!

-6 ( +1 / -7 )

reminds me of a saying from someone filthy rich..................... if you know how much you have, you don't have enough.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

And up until now I had thought it was rabbits that reproduced that quickly. I guess squirrels need to be added to the list of fast breeders!

0 ( +0 / -0 )

newsman,

maybe you think that way because you are the newsman. In fact I gave you a thumbs up, but now I regret it! It is JTs site and they can do whatever the heck they want to. They let us come here and make our silly comments, it's a great barrel of fun.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

Oh the logic, and when they catch 50 they will say oh 50 must have escaped... How can a zoo expect us to believe they do not know how many animals it has. Oh wait that's right this is Japan nuff said.

It is not as though they are a pandas or endangered rhinos. Squirrels breed all the time and is it really important to know how many there are? Not really. Just make sure there is enough food available and the little guys will be fine.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Is that a photo of one of the zoo's squirrels? Is that an indigenous squirrel species native to Japan? Or is that a North American Grey Squirrel and the Japansee are now going to go bonkers over them like the Brits?

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

It looks much closer to a Hokkaido native red squirrel than any Grey I have ever seen in the US, which would have displaced it anyway. Innokashira also specializes in species native to Japan. :)

0 ( +0 / -0 )

they are ute

0 ( +1 / -1 )

cute

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Continue to feed them and open the gates and soon the Zoo will becoma a giant squirrel cage and that aint bad.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

I saw some squirrels in Kamakura today ; Were they liberated individuals? RUN, ROCKY, RUN!

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Having grey squirrels in the zoo is like having flies and wasps in a pet-shop window.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Inokashira Zoo (part of Ueno Zoo, ditto for Tama Zoo) is more for breeding local species to be reintroduced into the wild.

Those are Japanese RED squirrels as was mentioned before, Had 4(different times) climb all over me. They got 2 enclosures one that looks for breeding only and the one that you can walk into.

The Zoo also offers more than just animals, kids playground, beautiful statue garden and a Museum. Incl. a half-size version of the peace statue in Nagasaaki, creators atelier is next door.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

At least this population has gone up in Japan.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Varied comments above but mostly negative. Seeing the squirrel is such a common animal there is no need to keep exact tabs on numbers. That would be a waste of money as someone would need to tag them all and count them.

Saying this is to be expected from Japan is also dumb as I doubt any zoo in the world has exact numbers on animals like these.

Lastly saying that keeping an animal this common is like keeping flies is missing the point of a zoo. It's a place where you can bring kids to learn about animals. I grew up in a city myself, my son is growing up in Chiba, no squirrels in my childhood nor I his. Only place that had plenty of squirrels was when we lived in Richmond in the UK and guess what an English zoo has? Yes Squirrels.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Richmond (London, SW) has plenty of deer, squirrels and foxes. The greys killed all the red squirrels though.

Glad to know these are red squirrels above.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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