2016 Volume 21 Issue 4 Pages 111-113
In the public service of wildlife rehabilitation in Japan, national endangered species (NES) specified by the “Act on conservation of endangered species of wild fauna and flora” are often rescued. Some of these rescued NES individuals cannot be released into the wild for various reasons, and according to this Act, such individuals must not be euthanized unless the euthanasia itself contributes to the conservation of the species. In local wildlife rehabilitation facilities, many and varied efforts have therefore attempted to make effective conservation use of rescued NES individuals. However, the growing number of breeding NES individuals in lifelong captivity has put serious pressure not only on the finances, manpower, and equipment dedicated to wildlife rehabilitation, but also on the rescued individual's welfare. The Ministry of the Environment has provided no clear guidelines on occasions when euthanasia would be the preferred option, from both veterinary and animal welfare perspectives, for dealing with rescued NES individuals. Further, no clear guidelines exist for triage in cases where a large number of NES individuals are rescued at the same time. Careful discussion of the issues involving non-releasable NES individuals has increased the demand for development of such guidelines, which consider both the conservation and welfare of NES. In this special issue, a range of contributors discuss the growth of this demand and consider the elements that such guidelines should include in order to be practicable.
