Tsushima Leopard Cats
A video from the Sankei Shimbun shows us some images of endangered Tsushima cats and highlights the conservation efforts that are underway:
Tsushima cats, designated by the government as a national natural treasure, only inhabit Tsushima Island in Nagasaki Prefecture. Back in the 1960s, some 250 to 300 Tsushima cats were estimated to have existed. After years of environmental degradation and frequent traffic accidents, however, the number of surviving cats has dropped to 80 to 100 today. The cats are now one of the most threatened species on the ministry’s red list.
The ministry has been working to artificially breed Tsushima cats at five zoos in the country so far, and 39 cats have been born since 2000. Currently 34 cats, including those which were protected, are reportedly capable of breeding under the program. The ministry plans to build a training facility by fiscal 2013 in the Shimojima area in southern Tsushima, where only a few Tsushima cats live, and begin training the cats in fiscal 2014 so that they can feed themselves in the wild.
- Akihabara News – Gadgetry from Japan (Subscribe)
- Dannychoo.com – Your portal to Japan (Subscribe)
