Investigation launched after squirrels are massacred in Japanese zoo
Squirrels
A zoo in Japan has launched an investigation after medicines intended to kill parasites accidentally killed 31 of the 40 squirrels enclosed inside the facility. The incident transpired at the Inokashira Park Zoo in Tokyo last week and a probe is currently underway.
The zookeepers had sprayed insecticide on the animals’ nest boxes and administered anti-parasitic medication to them on December 4. Soon after the medication was delivered, one of the bushy-tailed rodents, a common Japanese squirrel — died.
Over the next few days, the death toll continued to pile up and as of Monday (Dec 11), 31 squirrels had lost their lives.
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Zoo offers apologies
The possibility of "drug-induced poisoning cannot be denied", the zoo admitted in a statement Monday.
"We're currently investigating the cause of their deaths and observing the conditions of surviving individuals," they said, adding that a pathological examination of the corpses was underway.
"We offer our deepest apologies,"the statement said.
The zoo officials, however, maintain that the drugs were used in proper doses, as intended in the manual. Moreover, they had been administered on previous occasions without any incident.
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The zoo said the facility was clean, vetted for safety and hitting all the markers on the board. Despite the gloom surrounding the incident, the surviving squirrels were back on display.
Japan is home to three kinds of tree-dwelling creatures: the Japanese squirrel, the Japanese flying squirrel and the Japanese giant flying squirrel.
While adorable, their numbers in residential areas have been a nuisance for the Japanese public. In the eastern city of Kamakura, the municipality has proposed a supplementary budget of $48,000for extermination efforts while warning tourists that feeding the squirrels may increase their numbers.
At the end of November this year, as many as 1,533 squirrels had been exterminated in the region.The local government has put up posters on bulletin boards around the city describing incidents of damage.
(With inputs from agencies)