( 社 ) 日本動物園水族館協会における東日本大震災被災園館への対応
The Response by JAZA to Assist Zoos and Aquariums Impacted by the Great East
Japan Earthquake
社団法人 日本動物園水族館協会 副会長／鴨川シ―ワールド 館長・荒井 一利

Kazutoshi ARAI, Vice Chair, Japanese Association of Zoos and Aquariums (JAZA)
Director, Kamogawa Sea WorldI a m K a z u t o s h i A r a i f r o m JA ZA , t h e J a p a n e s eEarthquake in 1995, which remains fresh in our minds.

Association of Zoos and Aquariums. Today I would like

This time, although the actual damage to water tanks

to present a report about our response in assisting theand buildings was light, approximately half of thezoos and aquariums impacted by the Great East Japanaquatic animals in the affected aquariums died due

Earthquake.

to water pipe breakage, power cuts or water supply
stoppages. At both Marinepia Matsushima Aquarium

JAZA was established in 1939 with objectives toand Aquamarine Fukushima, while the damage

expand the zoos and aquarium business in Japan while

to buildings and water tanks was not particularly

promoting Japanese culture and science & technology. Itgreat, the machine rooms and electrical rooms were

has since developed into an organization that currently

submerged by the tsunami. Matsushima Aquarium

has 153 members including 87 zoos and 66 aquariums.

was fortunate in that the damage to the creatures waslight. But at Aquamarine Fukushima where the tsunami

As soon as the Great East Japan Earthquake had struck

reached a maximum height of 4.2 meters, apart fromon March 11, 2011, we at the JAZA Secretariat began

the larger animals, about 90% of the aquatic animals

collecting information by phone and email about theperished. Aquariums tend to be damaged more heavily

damage to zoos and aquariums. We were able to confirm

than zoos because they depend to a greater extent onthat there were various levels of damage to 13 zoos anda stable supply of electricity and water. Accordingly,

aquariums. Fortunately, there were no human casualties

aquariums are equipped w ith privately owned

among visitors or staff. Most of the damage was caused

emergency-use electrical power generation facilities,

directly by the earthquake and only two aquariums wereand these were effective in the case of Matsushimadamaged by the tsunami. Generally speaking in the past,Aquarium. But at Aquamarine Fukushima, althoughbecause zoo facilities are very solidly constructed, they

they were effective to some extent, they were unable tohave only very rarely collapsed due to earthquakes. On

cover the aquarium’s overall needs.

this occasion too, only partial damage occurred, and nofacilities collapsed.

As I said before, immediately after the earthquake
struck, we began collecting information at the JAZA

The main kinds of damage reported at zoos wereSecretariat in Tokyo. JAZA operates a general website

water supply stoppages due to broken pipes, heatingthat is open to the public, plus an exclusive members’

stoppages due to power failures, and difficulties in

use website with an ID registration system. This isobtaining food supplies due to logistical problems.

effective for gathering information and providing
information to our members. Also, having completed aOn the other hand, in the case of aquariums, major

mailing list for the directors of each zoo and aquarium,damage has been reported in the past from earthquakes.

JAZA members were able to share information from theOne example was the damage caused to Suma Aqualife

Secretariat more widely. However, when the earthquake

Park Kobe at the time of the Great Hanshin-Awaji

struck, the JAZA server was damaged and the websites

2nd Live Love Animals International Conference on Animal Care in Kobe 2012141

went down. So we began issuing information via

On March 22, Kamine Zoo in Hitachi City reopened,

Facebook on March 12. Fortunately, the website wasthen on April 7, a harbor seal that had been evacuatedquickly restored, and on March 13, JAZA received

to Kamogawa Seaworld from Aquamarine Fukushima

requests for emergency transportation of foodstuffs andgave birth successfully. On April 20 and April 27

for the evacuation of animals from zoos and aquariums

respectively, the ‘First and Second Meetings of Zoos

affected by the disaster. The association then beganand Aquariums Damaged by the Great East Japanto make concrete assessments and preparations soEarthquake’ were held at Yagiyama Zoological Park

as to deal with these requests. Regarding the releasein Sendai City and at Kamine Zoo in Hitachi City.

of information, (apart from within JAZA itself ) weEight zoos and aquariums attended the meetings withattempted to send out information centered on damage

participants also paying visits to damaged zoos andreports and the response status, and on requests foraquariums, exchanging opinions on damage status,

condolence payments, etc., in English and Japanese. In

visions for restoration and reconstruction, and requests

addition, on March 14, we started collecting condolence

to JAZA.

funds at JAZA member zoos and aquariums nationwide.
We formed a committee to oversee condolence
On March 14, we obtained authorization from thepayment distribution by asking three external experts

Ministry of the Environment for the emergency transfer(in addition to JAZA board members) to serve as officersof rare species of wild animals, and between Marchand the JAZA chairman was appointed as committee

16 and April 1, we transferred these animals away

chairman. This committee held three meetings on Junefrom Aquamarine Fukushima. Nine individuals from

22 and 29 and July 27, respectively. The meetings werefour species of mammals (the sea lion, walrus, harborused to confirm the status of the damage situation andseal and Eurasian river otter); 13 individuals of tworeview the requests of each zoo and aquarium. Frombird species, (namely the murre and tufted puffin);these assessments we discussed the condolence money

two individuals of two amphibian/reptile species

allocation in terms of specific recipients, criteria and(the giant salamander and green python); and 244

amounts. Based on the results of these discussions, weindividuals of 29 species of saltwater and freshwater

appealed to our members to collect condolence money

fish and invertebrates were moved from seven zoos

to support the damaged zoos and aquariums and setand aquariums. Early in the transfer period, because

a target date for the end of June. By that time, we had

detailed communication from Aquamarine Fukushimareceived approximately 49 million yen. But even in July

was difficult, the accepting zoos and aquariums played

condolence money was continuing to pour in so wea leading role in carrying out the transfer while

decided to continue with the collection drive.

maintaining close conduct with the JAZA Secretariat.
On April 23, Yagiyama Zoological Park and Matsushima

142

From March 18 to April 4, we transported foodstuffs

Aquarium in Sendai City both reopened to the public.

to six zoos and aquariums. Among the items we

From the end of April until the end of June, we

dispatched were solid feed, meat, fish, vegetables andprovided support to Matsushima Aquarium including

fruit. After these goods, which were donated fromsupplying fish. From the end of May to the end of

34 facilities, were collected at administrating zoos

June, several zoos and aquariums helped out withand aquariums, they were transported by air and sea

restoration work at Aquamarine Fukushima. Also, fromas well as by land on trucks with emergency vehicle

June 9 to early July, we cooperated with Aquamarine

designations. Staff from the administering zoos andFukushima by collecting living things and in the returnaquariums and cooperating businesses took part in theof the previously evacuated sea mammals. We safely

operation. Sapporo Maruyama Zoo organized the air

brought back the two walruses evacuated to Kamogawa

transport of vegetables from Sapporo to Haneda andSeaworld as well as the harbor seal mother and her cub

Japan Airlines carried the cargo free of charge.

born during the evacuation. The child was given theりぶ・らぶ・あにまるず 神戸アニマルケア国際会議 2012name Kibo, meaning “hope”, and it became a symbol of

the opportunity to once again express our gratitude

the reconstruction. On July 15, Aquamarine Fukushima

to all the organizations and individuals that haverestarted operation and hosted a reopening ceremonycooperated and supported us in our effort. Thank you

on a specially built stage made of rubble. It was herevery much.

that the name of Kibo, the new harbor seal cub, wasannounced.
On July 27, we held the third meeting of thecondolence money distribution committee and decided
on the distribution method. From the collected
funds total we first deducted the amount billed for
expenses required for foodstuff transportation and theevacuation of animals during the immediate aftermathof the earthquake. We then decided to distribute theremaining amount on a pro-rata basis in accordancewith the damage declarations provided by the damaged
zoos and aquariums, as well as in consideration of theindividual situations of each zoo and aquarium. Finally,
we elected to provide condolence money to four zoos
and aquariums. The four recipients are planning to use
this money for restoring their characteristic facilities.
We presented a report detailing the distribution of thecondolence money to the directors of JAZA member
zoos and aquariums and also made the report public on
the JAZA website and via Facebook. On August 8 and9, the chairman visited these four zoos and aquariums
himself and presented the condolence money. Even
now, condolence money donations are being sent toJAZA. As of December 18, the total amount reachedapproximately 57 million yen. The total amount
was being tallied every three months, so a second
distribution was carried out between December 20 and26 in the same way as in August.
In October, JAZA chairman Shigeyuki Yamamoto
attended the annual meeting of the World Associationof Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA) held in the Czech
Republic, where he reported on the damage caused
by earthquake and the reconstruction situation, andthanked the other members for their cooperation in theform of relief donations, etc.
To day I have g iven an account of how JAZA’s
response to the earthquake has progressed, and as arepresentative of the Association, I would like to take2nd Live Love Animals International Conference on Animal Care in Kobe 2012

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