JAPANESE ZOOS TO BREED WILD CATS

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Japanese zoos set to breed rare wildcats

 

TOKYO, Oct. 1 (UPI) -- Tokyo's Inokashira Park Zoo and the Yokohama Zoo in

Yokohama, Japan, are set to begin artificially breeding two pairs of

endangered Tshushima wildcats.

 

The Mainichi Daily News reported the two Japanese zoos will breed the rare

animals, whose wild brethren are only found in the Nagasaki Prefecture city

of Tsushima, in an attempt to increase the species' dwindling numbers.

 

As part of the plan from Japan's Ministry of the Environment, both the

Tsushima Wildlife Conservation Center and Fukuoka Zoo will offer up a pair

of the wildcats for the breeding project.

 

To date, the total number of Tshushima wildcats alive in the wild is

estimated to be between 80 to 110, and numbers continue to fall due to

traffic accidents, diseases such as the feline AIDS virus and the ongoing

development of neighboring forest areas.

 

The Daily News said the ministry previously engaged in such breeding

endeavors in 1999 when the Fukuoka Zoo breed 20 new Tshushima wildcats,

eight of which were later released into the wild.