Whale - Monthly News - Archives - Kids Web Japan - Web Japan
A whale stranded on the beach of a town in Shizuoka Prefecture died despite two days of frantic efforts to return it to the sea. The male sperm whale weighing 50 tons and measuring 16 meters long, was found lying on the beach in Osuka, a town facing the Pacific Ocean, on the morning of April 6, 2000.

Asagao - Monthly News - Archives - Kids Web Japan - Web Japan
Summer doesn't really seem to start in the older neighborhoods of Tokyo until the arrival of the asagao ichi (morning glory fairs) and the hozuki ichi (ground cherry fairs).

Miyake - Monthly News - Archives - Kids Web Japan - Web Japan
A series of volcanic eruptions on Miyakejima, a tiny island 200 kilometers south of Tokyo in the Pacific Ocean, have separated some 360 children evacuated from the island from their parents. Groups of the kids are living and studying in dormitories at a high school in Tokyo.

Donation - Monthly News - Archives - Kids Web Japan - Web Japan
Around 50 years ago, India presented Japan with an elephant as a gesture of friendship after most zoo animals in Japan were lost due to World War II. Now a movement has begun to return this kindness to Croatia, a country that has been devastated by warfare. A Japanese photojournalist and his supporters are heading a campaign to present elephants to a Croatian zoo.

Elephants - Monthly News - Archives - Kids Web Japan - Web Japan
Japan has received a surprise gift from Thailand: a pair of baby elephants. The elephants were a thank-you gift for a tree-planting project carried out in Thailand by a Japanese volunteer organization.

Aquarium - Monthly News - Archives - Kids Web Japan - Web Japan
The Shimoda Floating Aquarium in Shizuoka Prefecture established a new world record on September 17 when a false killer whale it has been raising spent its 9,409th day there. The aquarium beat a record previously held for the species--a close relative of the common dolphin--by Sea Life Park in Hawaii.

Leopard - Monthly News - Archives - Kids Web Japan - Web Japan
Web Japan Kids Web Japan Archives > Monthly News > Leopard MONTHLY NEWS January 1997 Leopard Cat Kittens Born at Ueno Zoo Four kittens were born in early August to a leopard cat, a wildcat threatene

Dinosaur - Monthly News - Archives - Kids Web Japan - Web Japan
A new type of dinosaur was confirmed to have existed in Japan after scientists carefully examined 55 fossilized footprints. Each footprint is three-fingered, and measures 5 to 8 centimeters (2 to 3 inches) across.

Owls - Monthly News - Archives - Kids Web Japan - Web Japan
A chick of the Blakiston's fish owl, an endangered species indigenous to Japan that has been designated as a national natural monument, was artificially hatched in the city of Nemuro, Hokkaido, in mid-April.

Species - Monthly News - Archives - Kids Web Japan - Web Japan
As part of an initiative to preserve endangered animal species, zoos in Japan and around the world have launched a program of lending animals to one another for breeding purposes.

Antarctica's Environment - Monthly News - Archives - Kids Web Japan - Web Japan
Nearly 500 tons of discarded vehicles and other machinery that has accumulated around Showa Station in Antarctica during the past 40 years will be brought back to Japan over the next five years. The first batch will be brought back by an expedition team that is leaving for Antarctica in November.

Plants - Monthly News - Archives - Kids Web Japan - Web Japan
A researcher in Ibaraki Prefecture has developed a system that can "hear" what plants are saying. The messages sent by the plants are being used to determine when and how much to water them.

Butterfly - Monthly News - Archives - Kids Web Japan - Web Japan
Third graders in Okinawa Prefecture caught a butterfly that had been marked and released in Nagano Prefecture, some 1,300 kilometers (800 miles) away. It was the first time that a marked butterfly had been recaptured after traveling such a long distance.

Endangered - Monthly News - Archives - Kids Web Japan - Web Japan
An updated list of endangered animals compiled by Japan's Environment Agency shows that the number of mammals and birds threatened with extinction more than doubled to 137 from an earlier tally of 68.

Monkey - Monthly News - Archives - Kids Web Japan - Web Japan
A film documenting the life and death of Mozu, a female Japanese monkey that raised her offspring despite having impaired hands and legs, was recently completed and shown to the public.

Ibises - Monthly News - Archives - Kids Web Japan - Web Japan
When Chinese President Jiang Zemin made a trip to Japan in November 1998--the first Chinese head of state to visit the country--he made a promise to present a pair of ibises to his hosts.

Hippo - Monthly News - Archives - Kids Web Japan - Web Japan
A zoo in Osaka has posted a message on its Website and has sent e-mail notes to other zoos around the world asking them for help in finding a bride for a male hippopotamus named Tetsuo.

Monkeys - Monthly News - Archives - Kids Web Japan - Web Japan
A monkey about a meter tall was spotted several times in residential areas and busy commercial districts of central Tokyo in June, but the animal has since disappeared, escaping police attempts to capture it.

Jellyfish - Monthly News - Archives - Kids Web Japan - Web Japan
Inspired by the growing popularity of jellyfish as pets in Japan, an Osaka aquarium, Kaiyukan, has recently opened an exhibit devoted exclusively to the free-swimming marine creatures.

Zoo - Monthly News - Archives - Kids Web Japan - Web Japan
In Japan, where how to take better care of elderly people is among the foremost concerns, animals are also getting improved treatment as they age. Many animals are living longer thanks to the tender loving care zookeepers are providing, and zoos are making greater efforts to enable them to spend their golden years in comfort.