If you watch Nihon TV’s Zip! morning show, you probably recognize the dog in the picture above. It’s Zippei (ジッペイ), a cute and fluffy Samoyed dog that travels around Japan as the television show’s mascot.

Every day, Zippei visits a different area, interacting with locals and spreading awareness about the show. The clip below shows a typical Zippei segment:

As you can see, Zippei is extremely well-behaved and never seems to make any noise. This bizarrely unnatural lack of barking gave rise to internet rumors that the Zippei had undergone surgery to remove his vocal cords. Some netizens who claim to have attended Zippei events said they saw the dog trying to bark, but not making any actual bark sounds.

The Asahi Shimbun is now reporting that the internet rumors were true: Zippei had a vocal cordectomy. The procedure took place before Zippei appeared on TV. It was supposedly not a pre-condition for the dog’s participation on the program. NTV is not commenting on whether it approves or disapproves of such surgical procedures .

According to Wikipedia, some people in the United States and Europe consider it cruel. It has even been outlawed in some areas:

The procedure is outlawed as a form of mutilation in the United Kingdom and all countries that have signed the European Convention for the Protection of Pet Animals. In the United States, devocalization is illegal by state law in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and by city ordinance in Warwick, Rhode Island. Efforts to ban devocalization are underway in other states.

If the 2channel comments picked up by Itai News are any indication, it seems that quite a few Japanese people also strongly disapprove of de-barking surgery and are disgusted by NTV [むごい話だ / 動物虐待じゃん / ひどいね / 日テレは動物をオモチャにするのが好きだな ] .

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Here’s a heartwarming news report about Junior, a dog that saved a 3-year-old girl by keeping her warm when they were trapped inside a wrecked car during a snow storm in Hokkaido:

While driving along a river in the neighboring town of Urausu, however, he accidentally drove off the road, sending the car rolling down an embankment. When the rolling stopped, the man and the girl found that they were unable to move.

The car was found the following morning several meters below the road, resting on its side with a broken window.

When they went down to check the car, police officers found Junior cuddled up to the girl and licking her cheek.

The humans suffered only minor frostbite on their feet despite outside temperatures that plunged below zero during the night.

Junior received a gold medal for heroism from the local government. He’s also apparently had his meals upgraded to a more expensive brand of dog food.

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Fuga, two, and Karin, one, passed the police canine test in July and would be put to work finding missing hikers in the mountainous region (of Tottori).

The female toy poodles, one of which is gray and the other brown, also would take part in criminal manhunts, the report said.

Police in Tottori prefecture rarely make use of dogs, so they don’t maintain a full-time K9 unit. Instead, they accept volunteers from private homes. The poodles will live with their masters, and if needed, the police will be able to call them into service.

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Take a look at Okinawa’s longest snake:

The habu was found along a road in an area of Okinawa not far from Camp Hansen. It was apparently alive at the time, but died shortly afterwards. It was 242 cm long, making it the longest habu ever found in Japan.

According to the English language Wikipedia article about the Okinawan habu, this was about twice as long as an average habu:

Grows to an average length of 4-5 feet (122-152 cm). With a maximum of 7.5 feet (229 cm), it is the largest member of its genus.

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A deer wandered into Shizuoka city yesterday. Here is a video of the epic struggle to capture the animal:

The operation required about 30 police officers. After driving the animal into a fenced parking lot, several officers in protective gear slowly advanced with a net. As they pressed it into the final corner, the deer attempted to leap away. However, it was no use. The animal was captured.

The deer was put on the back of a truck and taken up to the mountains, where it was released. The deer’s release is shown at the end of the video clip. The deer appears to have difficultly walking, but that is apparently because it’s still groggy from the tranquilizers that had been used to subdue it.

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Ara-chan, the seal that has been hanging out in the Arakawa river since last week, has been given a special certificate of residency from the city of Shiki:

On the the residency certificate, they decided to assign the seal the last name “Shiki,” so nobody would be confused about the city in which it is living.

Note: this is just “special” residency certificate, not a real residency permit. It doesn’t have the same legal status as a real residency permit, and the animal will obviously never use it for anything.

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The seal I blogged about yesterday is still hanging out in Saitama, and it seems to have ignited a major media frenzy:

The animal has been seen in the Arakawa river near the Akigase water diversion weir, around 35 kilometers upstream from Tokyo Bay. According to locals and other sources, the seal began appearing in the area a few days ago.

On Oct. 11, around 100 spectators including parents with their children had gathered on both banks of the river. When the seal poked its head out from the water about every 10 to 20 minutes, people would call out to it.

Could it be Tama-chan, the seal that became a national celebrity back in 2003?

Although both seals were spotted in Saitama prefecture, a side-by-side comparison of photos shows that this seal looks very different. An expert says that they are two entirely different types of seals.

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For the last three weeks, residents of the city of Shiki in Saitama prefecture have been reporting the presence of a wild seal:

It’s in a part of the Arakawa River that is quite far inland. It’s very rare to see any seals in this part of Japan, especially when you consider the fact that the seal would have had to swim its way upriver through Tokyo to reach Shiki.

Here’s the location on Google Street view, for those who might be interested in checking it out:

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The city of Saga has found an interesting way of dealing with stray cats. Instead of sending animal control officers to round up and imprison the cats, it has turned them into celebrities. Two years ago, eight of the downtown area’s stray cats were designated “stray cat idols.” Local shops began to sell souvenirs featuring images of the eight “lucky” cats, and one bakery sold cookie reproductions of them.

However, the project soon encountered a problem that wasn’t exactly unpredictable. Sometime last year, two of the eight cats could no longer be found. Stray cats are hard to track, and apparently they sometimes relocate to new areas or just disappear.

So two of the eight cats were gone, and the city had a couple dozen other stray cats wandering around downtown. To select new members of the lucky eight, they decided to follow the example of AKB48 and have fans elect the two top idol cats:

Eight candidates were chosen and citizens were allowed to vote by placing stickers on a voting board. The voting was carried out over a period of 3 months.

The #1 cat was “Horie no Pan” (Horie’s Bread), named after a local bakery. Second place went to “Chibi #4.” However, Chibi was disqualified because he disappeared from the downtown area, apparently lured away by a female stray. Ultimately, the second spot was awarded to “Ni Sen Man En” (20,000,000 yen), who had actually come in third place.

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Pan-kun the chimpanzee learns how to grill some saury and arrange flowers:

I am guessing that Pan-kun can sense the heat of the grill and is smart enough to know that he should avoid touching it, but still seems like a pretty risky stunt.

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The monkey now considers the man’s dog, Goma (a male), to be his surrogate mother. Whenever the Goma goes for a walk, the monkey clings to his back.

The narrator remarks on how this dog and monkey combo is very different from the common image of dogs and monkeys as enemies. [In the Japanese language when one says that two people are like "dogs and monkeys" (犬猿の仲), it means that they don't get along well. ]

For now, the monkey is a baby and is relatively easy to take care of, but when it gets older, it will be hard to keep as a house pet. The man is looking for a zoo that will adopt the monkey.

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Here’s some footage filmed by an official who was accompanying former residents as they made temporary visits to their homes in the Fukushima Daiichi exclusion zone:

At one point near Ono Station, he encountered an ostrich. There was an ostrich farm in the area, and although many of the animals probably starved to death, this one seemed to have escaped from the farm. The official put some dog food on the street, and the hungry ostrich happily ate it.

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Here’s Okenpi, a dog in Miyagi prefecture that seems to have some identity issues:

Okenpi was raised alongside a cat, so he may have learned how to make “meow” sounds from his feline companion. His owner says she has never heard Okenpi make a normal dog-like barking sound.

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Ken Shimura teaches Pan-kun the chimpanzee how to brush his teeth:

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A Japanese TV report about Shunsuke, a Pomeranian that has become an internet sensation:

Shunsuke’s popularity lies in his super cuteness, which often makes him seem more like a stuffed animal than a real dog.

Shunsuke’s owner shares the cuteness of her doggy with the world via the keep0109 Twitter account (see the photo stream here). When the TV program aired a few weeks ago, Shunsuke had about 20,000 followers on Twitter. The number has since grown to over 40,000.

Shunsuke also has an official photo book and 2012 Calendar, available through Amazon.co.jp and other major retailers.

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Here’s Anku, a cute cat in Yamagata prefecture that likes to stick his paws under his master’s bathroom door:

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Ken Shimura teaches Pan-kun the chimpanzee how to enjoy the summer heat in Japan:

• Using a Japanese folding fan
• Enjoying a fish foot spa
• Eating edamame
• Drinking out of a ice beer mug (filled with vegetable juice)
• Using a handheld fan that also sprays water
• Eating watermelon
• Eating cool flowing somen noodles (with chopsticks)

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Meet Mokkun, a cat in Yamaguchi prefecture who likes to stand up and drink water:

Mokkun spends his days hanging out in front of his owners’ store in Shunan city. It gets pretty hot in the summer, so Mokkun really looks forward to cooling off with a special drink every time the plants get watered.

Do other cats exhibit this behavior? To check, Fuji TV sent some staff to a cat cafe. The cats seem interested in the flowing water, but none try to stand up and drink it.

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A short news video shows two cats from Fukushima who will be living with a “host family” in Kyoto:

The cats’ family found a new apartment after the March 11th disaster, but it does not allow pets. Until the family can find better housing, volunteers will take care of their cats.

During the filming of the report, one of the cats broke loose from his carry case and ran away. With the help of some food, the cat’s owner is able to calm him down and recapture him. It seems that the relocation has been quite stressful for the cats, and they’ll need some time to readjust to their new surroundings.

If you live in Kyoto and want to volunteer as a host for evacuee pets, check out this page for details.

In related news, the Yomiuri Shimbun reports that the Baba Animal Hospital in Kawasaki city (near Tokyo) is looking for people willing to adopt pets that used to live in the Fukushima Daiichi exclusion zone. Some of the pets hade been completely abandoned, while others have been given to animal welfare facilities by reluctant owners who no longer had the ability to care for them.

There are currently over 50 such pets being held in cages at a facility in Fukushima prefecture. The animal hospital in Kawasaki has been accepting transfers of a few pets at a time. After conducting health checks on the animals, they try to find new owners in the Kawasaki area.

The article lists 044-777-1271 as the telephone number for the animal hospital ( Japanese speakers only – it does not say anything about staff who can understand English).

Microsoft Japan has set up a similar project, called MSN Pet Search. It provides a listing of rescued pets that are looking for their previous families, as well as pets that require new families.

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“Nanikore” introduces us to Moko, a Welsh corgi in Tokyo that is obsessed with drainage pipes:

About a year ago, Moko started doing something very odd. Whenever she notices a drainage pipe, Moko wants to check it. Because there are a lot of concrete walls and embankments along her walking route, Moko checks dozens of pipes every day.

An expert believes Moko may have started checking pipes after discovering something interesting or tasty inside one. Even though the chances of making another pleasant discovery are low, Moko checks every pipe.

Humans also exhibit this kind of behavior. The show gives the example of people who check the change slot of vending machines, hoping that they’ll get lucky and find some coins that a somebody else left behind.

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Decades ago, raccoons were a popular pet in Japan. Unfortunately, some irresponsible owners found their pets to be too much trouble, so they released the raccoons into the wild. Although the species of not native to Japan, 42 of the country’s 47 prefectures now have wild raccoon populations. These alien raccoons damage local ecosystems and destroy crops.

A battle is being waged against raccoon population growth. There hasn’t been much success, but humans have found a secret weapon. Apparently raccoons are attracted to Nissin’s chicken ramen:

Tests show that raccoons prefer chicken ramen over a variety of fruits and vegetables. Traps that contain ramen are far more likely to capture raccoons than traps that use other forms of bait.

Nobody’s exactly sure why the raccoons love ramen so much. It could be its strong smell. Or it could be because pet raccoons were used eating to processed foods. As one guy in the video says, if you want to know why, ask the raccoons.

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Morning commuters experienced delays yesterday on JR’s Keihin Tohoku line because trains had to stopped to allow workers to rescue a trapped kitten:

As the train sped down the line between Kanagawa prefecture and Tokyo, somebody reported hearing meowing sounds from underneath one of its cars. The train made an emergency stop at Kamata station, where workers found a 3-month-old kitten clinging to the space between the floor and the wheels.

The incident caused the train to halt for about 25 minutes at Kamata station, holding up a total of 15 trains. The delay impacted the commutes of about 23,000 people.

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TV Tokyo had some Lego masters build elaborate toys for cats. Here are the results:

Cute kittens + Awesome Lego contraptions = Television gold?

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Video of a white crow that has been spotted in Hokkaido’s Obihiro city:

According to observers, the white crow gets along well with other crows. No crow racism in Hokkaido, folks!

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A Shiba Inu will be joining the police force in Okayama prefecture:

Futaba, a 5-year-old female, is apparently the first dog of her breed to ever work for a police department in Japan.

Most police dogs in Japan are German Shepherds, but there have been other cases where smaller dogs have passed the police dog exam.

Last year, a Chihuahua named Momo received worldwide media attention:

And here’s a video about a Miniature Schnauzer that became a police dog:

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A lot of Japanese people are excited about their national team’s success in the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup. No human being has the ability to predict the future…but perhaps octopuses and elephants can see the future?

Here are a some of the predictions provided by Germany’s “psychic” animals:

Four out of seven octopuses at a German aquarium picked Japan as the winner:

However, the octopus that has the best record for successful predictions was among the three who picked the United States.

In another area of Germany, a baby elephant has predicted a Japanese victory:

The elephant had successfully predicted the winner of every match involving the German national team. Although this result favors Japan, its previous predictions for the Japan vs. Sweden and USA vs. France matches were incorrect.

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Would your dog still recognize you after professional make-up artists transform you into a totally different-looking person? Last week’s episode of “Shimura Zoo” tested that question by giving actress Mirai Yamamoto darker skin, dreadlocks, a beard, and some hip hop clothing:

Does the disguise fool the dog? Maybe. The dog approaches rapper Yamamoto several times and only seems to back off when its clear he’s being ignored.

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The blogger owner of famous YouTube cat Maru is releasing an English language version of her I am Maru Photo book and DVD:

…here comes an American version of the book I Am Maru, by owner/personal videographer mugumogu, previously published in Japan. It’s due Aug. 23 from William Morrow ($15.99). The U.S. version also features “a special edition inside jacket poster.”

If you’re unfamiliar with Maru, here are a recent videos:

And an NHK news report about Maru:

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Meet Leon, a cat in Shizuoka prefecture with the remarkable ability to differentiate between similar sounding words:

Leon knows that he can only eat from his bowl after his master says, “yoshi!” (alright). He will only eat when he hears that word. If he hears a similar word, such as “Yoshiko” or “Yoshikawa,” he will not eat.

Leon also understands other commands: “suwari” (sit) and “house” (go to your cage).

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Here’s something anybody could enjoy. Pan-kun the Chimpanzee + cute kittens:

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Summer temperatures are upon us, and businesses across the Kanto region are cutting their electricity consumption to avoid a return of rolling blackouts.

Everyone is setting air conditioning to higher temperatures. Normal business attire is being ditched in favor of Super Cool Biz clothing. Some offices are starting and ending work earlier. Car factories are shifting work hours to the weekends.

And, as this clip shows, even zoos are joining the effort:

At Yokohama’s Zoorasia park, water pumps that run fake rivers and waterfalls have been shut off. The polar bear doesn’t seem to mind the lack of a waterfall in his enclosure, and the zoo was able to meet the government-mandated 15% energy reduction goal.

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“Shimura Zoo” answers viewer mail that asks how long it takes Pan-kun the chimp to run 50-meters:

The average time for a 9-year-old human boy is 9.69 seconds. On the first try, Pan-kun isn’t particularly interested in running at his top speed, so it takes 20.40 seconds. On the second try, they get one of James’ puppies to make it a real race. With a bulldog running after him, Pan-kun dashes at top speed. It takes 7.64 seconds.

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Last week, the Ogasawara Islands were named a UNESCO World Natural Heritage site:

The island chain, which has never been connected with a continent, has been dubbed the “Galapagos of the Orient” because animals and plants there have undergone unique evolutionary processes–similar to wildlife on the Galapagos Islands.

In particular, 100 of the 106 species of land snails found on the islands are indigenous.

The islands, which include Chichijima and Hahajima islands, are regarded as the only place in the world where geological features visible from the ground show how an archipelago is formed when oceanic plates bump against each other.

Conservation groups have been working hard to protect the islands’ unique ecosystem. One conservation project involves the capture of feral cats, descendants of pets that humans brought to the islands:

Suspicions were first raised in 2003 that abandoned and escaped cats had gone feral and were attacking indigenous seabirds.

In May 2005, the Institute of Boninology (IBO), a nonprofit organization, placed an automated camera at Hahajima’s Minamizaki, known as a nesting place for the seabirds.

Soon after, the camera captured footage of a tabby cat devouring a Brown Booby. It was proof positive of the threat posed by stray cats, and the capture campaign commenced soon afterward.

Over 200 feral cats have been captured since 2005. Most have been sent to the Tokyo area, where animal hospitals are working to tame them and give them happy homes:

The kitty rehab program originated in June 2005 when an Institute of Boninology member contacted Yasushi Komatsu, 53, vice president of the Tokyo Veterinary Medical Association (TVMA), to ask how to euthanize the cats.

Komatsu was unhappy with the idea. “Our job is to protect the lives and health of animals. Euthanization was unacceptable, Komatsu recalls. He set about finding places for the cats. To date, about 60 animal hospitals have accepted and rehabilitated cats.

“These Ogasawara cats are extreme,” he says. “Once they adjust to humans, they become exceptionally affectionate. I suppose it must have been lonely for them up in those mountains.”

As you can see from the video, the orange cat tried to attack humans when he was first captured. Komatsu placed the cat’s cage in an area of the animal hospital where people were always walking around. Within 2 months, the cat – named “Michael” – no longer feared humans and actually liked to be held.

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I’ve got some good news about Miwa, the boar-riding monkey at Fukuchiyama Zoo in Kyoto prefecture. It has previously been reported that the “rodeo” riding had to end because boar had grown too large and dangerous, but it seems that the zoo has found a substitute mount.

Miwa is now regularly riding around on a miniature pig named Hiromi:

The zoo is hoping that the new pig/monkey team will be cute enough to attract lots of visitors.

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A Japanese news crew visits Sakura city in Chiba prefecture, where foreign snapping turtles are screwing up the local ecosystem:

Most snapping turtles that are caught in the wild in Japan were pets that escaped or were thrown away. Usually, it’s just one turtle. However, in Chiba Prefecture the turtles have been able to mate and breed in the wild.

Even though prefectural authorities have been catching hundreds of turtles, it has been difficult to stop the infestation. A single turtle can lay up to 40 eggs at a time. The big scary turtles have few natural enemies, so their population has been steadily increasing.

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A Japanese TV news report about dangerous wild boar entering cities and towns:

Apparently it is happening all over Japan. There have been reports of boars coming down from the mountains and forests and attacking people in residential neighborhoods. Recently, attacks have occurred in Kobe city and Hiroshima prefecture.

The boars also cause a lot of damage to farms. They chew or claw their way through protective nets and eat all the crops. They are not afraid of inflatable tigers.

Some areas have organized hunts to keep the boar population under control. About five and a half minutes into the video clip, we can observe a group of Japanese hunters venturing into the woods. Hunting dogs are used to drive the boar towards a human hunter, who blasts it with his rifle. The farmers in that area now have one less wild boar to worry about.

The program visits an agricultural research center to learn why regular hunts have not caused a big drop in reports of boar-related damage to crops. They are told that limitations on the natural food supply meant that weak boars used to starve during winter. Now, thanks to humans, the boars can feast on crops or garbage in winter. Boars do not starve to death, so the population keeps increasing.

In Kobe, the problem isn’t leftover crops or garbage. People are actually feeding the boars. Many of the animals no longer run at the sight of humans. They grow bolder and bolder, venturing into residential areas. This increases the likelihood of attacks on humans.

In January, an elderly Kobe woman was trying to give food to a boar. The boar attacked her and bit off one of her fingers. Apparently it was a case of a boar literally biting the hand that fed it.

Nine years ago, the Kobe city government passed an ordinance that bans the feeding of wild boars. It doesn’t look like much is being done to enforce it. When filming Kobe’s boars, the TV camera crew saw areas where food had been left for the animals. They even caught two women in the act of giving bread crusts to the boars. The first woman fled before they could chase her down. The second woman admits she is breaking the rule, but doesn’t seem to care.

People might be giving food to the wild boars because they don’t want to see the animals starve. This kind of behavior only makes the situation worse. If the animals know that they can easily get food from humans, they will never go back to their natural habitats.

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“Nanikore” visits a souvenir shop in Nikko where the owner has built a “running machine” for her dog:

The dog, an American Pit Bull Terrier named Teroru, seems to love the machine. Even after going on an hour-long walk with his master, Teroru wants to be taken to his treadmill to continue exercising. Sometimes he uses it for several hours straight. Because the machine is powered by his own walking, he doesn’t require human supervision. He can stop whenever he gets tired.

Related link: It seems that some companies actually sell motorized dog treadmills.

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A rabbit in Fukushima that looks like it enjoys riding on the back of a sheep:

However, looks can be deceiving. The rabbit sees the sheep as little more than a ladder. Getting up on the sheep’s back allows the rabbit to hop over the fence and make his way to the other part of the farm, where there is a female rabbit.

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Tashirojima, Miyagi’s famous “cat island,” is in trouble. Although most of the cats survived the March 11th earthquake and tsunami, it inflicted heavy damage on the small community. The livelihood of the islander’s residents is at risk:

Local residents say islanders began keeping cats to get rid of mice when the silk industry was thriving on Tashirojima. A local shrine is even named Neko Jinja (cat shrine). A few years ago, a Tokyo-based TV station featured Tashirojima in a program, and the island has been well-known for its unique population ever since.

The community is in a precarious state, as about 80 percent of its residents are 65 years old or older, but the tourist trade is thriving–about 3,200 visitors came in 2008 but nearly 12,300 came last year.

The island’s fishermen have not been able to work since the disaster. Since the cats were usually fed with tiny fish from their catches, they now have to rely on cat food donations. The situation prompted Hama and other islanders to ponder how they could collect funds to both rebuild the fishing industry and keep their furry friends fed.

In their plan, which focuses on the nation’s cat-lovers, people can become owners of oysters and other marine products the island produces in exchange for aid money. Donations are accepted in 10,000 yen lots, and Hama and his fellows aim to collect 150 million yen. Contributors will receive oysters and cat-related goods from the shrine. The cats will also be featured in a blog.

The official website of the project to save Tashiro island can be found here(NyanPro.com).

At this time, the site is only in Japanese and they don’t seem to have a system in place to accept international donations. Those that can read Japanese can order a 10,000 yen oyster set on this page.

Here is a video of the island before the tsunami:

And here is are a few clips of the island after the tsunami:

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A Japanese TV news crew visits the town of Taiji in Wakayama prefecture, where something shocking is happening.

Pilot whales have been captured and…….they’re having their teeth brushed:

June 4th was Cavity Prevention Day in Japan, so the whales at the Taiji aquarium are being used to promote proper dental hygiene. After brushing, the whales “gargle” water to clean their mouths!

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A surveillance camera at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant filmed some stray dogs wandering around earlier this month:

The dogs were likely pets that were left behind when the area’s human residents were forced to evacuate in March. They may have come to the area searching for food.

A Japanese TV news report marked the dog’s location on this aerial view of the power plant. At the time, the radiation level was 0.3 millisieverts per hour (about 3 chest x-rays an hour). Humans working at the plant wouldn’t dare venture out there without protective gear. These dogs have no protection, and have probably been eating contaminated food for weeks.

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On last Saturday’s episode of “Shimura Zoo,” some fan letters asked if Pan-kun the chimpanzee could draw. Here he is, drawing an apple and a banana:

Close enough.

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“Nanikore” finds a cat in Tokyo that likes to hang out atop a very tall sign board:

The cat is not climbing up the entire building. He happens to live in one of the building’s apartments. To get onto the sign, he only needs to go out onto the apartment’s balcony and walk across to the sign.

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A dog is reunited with his family, some 50 days after they were split apart by the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident:

The dog is named Umenosuke. Umenosuke and his family had lived in the town of Okuma, which was within the exclusion zone for the nuclear power plant.

Like many pet owners in the area, Umenosuke’s family probably left him at home believing that they would soon be allowed to return. However, the situation at the plant was worse than expected, and their dog was left to fend for himself.

Earlier this month, the dog was rescued by a local government employee and photos of the dog were put on the internet. The family realized it was their dog, and they came to pick him up. Umenosuke was leaping with joy as he saw them.

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Update: The rabbit was confirmed to be in Fukushima. However, there is no evidence that the birth defect was caused by radiation. In the months since this news was reported, there have been no other similar cases reported.

A YouTube user claiming to be from Fukushima uploaded this video clip on May 21st. It shows a baby rabbit that was supposedly born without ears:

The YouTube user’s location is listed as the Tsushima area of Namie town, which happens to lie at the northwest edge of the original 30 kilometer exclusion zone set up around the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. According to data released by the Japanese and U.S. governments, it was one of the places that suffered from considerable radioactive. Based on that data, the Japanese government expanded the evacuation zone in April, telling all residents of Namie to leave the area.

The anonymous uploader claims that there is “cover-up” [隠蔽工作] taking place. Apparently this rabbit is proof that the government has been lying about the health risk from the radiation leak. He/She claims that rabbits have a faster life cycle than humans, so they are an indication of what may eventually happen to human babies in Japan.

The video has gone viral, getting over 375,000 views in just a few days.

While the video has received a lot of attention and support from conspiracy theorists, there are also several comments on YouTube that question the authentically of the video. Critics point out that:

• There is no evidence that this video was actually filmed in Fukushima.
• There is no evidence that this video was filmed after the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident.
• Some of the Japanese phrases used in the video description sound unnatural. Was this video even uploaded by somebody in Japan?
• This looks awfully clean to be a birth defect caused by radiation.
• Earless rabbits are not uncommon.

Related Link: Here’s an earless rabbit that was born in the U.K. back in 2008.

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The title of this video is “the cat that doesn’t become angry” (怒らない猫):

Despite some really annoying behavior from the baby, the cat does not attack!

You can see more of the cat’s life at this Japanese blog.

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In this viral video, a dog in Japan learns to catch a ball with her paws:

She’s Purin, a super beagle from Kanagawa prefecture.

Purin’s skills are numerous. For example, she can jump rope:

She can skateboard:

And she block ninja swords:

Purin has been featured on Japanese TV programs such as “Shimura Zoo” and has starred in a commercial for a Doggyman anti-mosquito product. She also has a twitter account.

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Hundreds of dogs and their owners gathered at Roppongi Hills yesterday to break the Guinness World Record for the largest gathering of clothed dogs:

The total number of clothed dogs was 603, setting a new world record. The previous record had been set at a 2010 event in America (208 dogs for “Most dogs in costumed attire”).

The gathering included a charity auction, which raised money for pets that had been displaced by the March 11th earthquake and tsunami.

Several Japanese bloggers have written about the event and posted photos: one, two, three, four, five, and six.

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A video of monkeys that use stone tools to crush nuts at the Iida Zoo in Nagano prefecture:

They are tufted capuchins, a species of primate that is known for their use of tools. Zookeepers knew that wild capuchin sometimes use rocks as tools, so they placed rocks in their cage and provided plenty of nuts. A couple of the Iida Zoo’s capuchin have learned to use large stones to crush the shells of the nuts.

Only two of the primates have acquired the skill. The most adept is Yoichi, a 20-year-old male. Yoichi’s 10-year-old son can also crush nuts, but has a much lower success rate.

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Meet Minnie, a French bulldog in Yokohama who seems to be madly in love with a cat:

Minnie is obsessed with Cookie, a male cat that she sometimes encounters on her walks through the neighborhood. At first, Cookie would resist Minnie’s advances, but after 6 months the cat finally gave up. Cookie doesn’t try to run away when Minnie comes up and licks him.

As you might expect, Minnie doesn’t like it when her master tries to end their visits with Cookie.

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A zoo in Kumamoto where several capybara have been taught to walk around a little bit on their hind legs:

Capybara are known to stand on two legs when seeking out food in the wild, but it is apparently very rare for them to display that kind of behavior in front of humans.

The giant rodents also seem to enjoy using a metal fence to clean their teeth.

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Celebrity dog Wasao has taken a break from his stationmaster job in Aomori so he can visit children at a evacuation shelter in tsunami-hit Kesennuma:

Children at the shelter were given school supplies and a chance to have their picture taken with Wasao.

The visit was made after Wasao’s master discovered that a 14-year-old girl who had written fan letters to Wasao had lost her home in the tsunami and was now living at the shelter.

(If Wasao looks tired in the video, it’s because it was a rather warm day. Apparently he prefers the cool weather up in Aomori prefecture.)

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Video footage of how the two giant pandas at Tokyo’s Ueno Zoo reacted to the March 11th earthquake:

The pandas were obviously scared. One ran around in a panic, tumbling on the ground.

Zookeepers say that the pandas are feeling better now, and don’t even react much when there are aftershocks.

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On a recent episode of “Shimura Zoo,” Pan-kun the performing chimpanzee answered some fan mail:

The following questions are answered:

• Can Pan-kun drink carbonated beverages?
• Can Pan-kun eat natto?
• Can Pan-kun jump over a tall vaulting horse?

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Thinking of somewhere to visit during the Golden Week holiday? Why not head over to the Niji no Mori Zoo/Aquarium in Ehime prefecture, where you can see Daigoro, a Cuvier’s Dwarf Caiman that likes to stand up:

The story of how he became famous is rather simple.

One day, a zookeeper was using a hose to water some plants near Daigoro. The caiman apparently liked the feeling of spraying water, so he stood up. People thought it was cute, so now they now entertain visitors by deliberately using a hose to make Daigoro stand up.

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