Survey and Research in Zoo; Learn from the Past, Face the Present and Hand It Over to the Future

Abstract

　“Survey and Research” is one of the four mission of the zoo but has not been widely recognized. Recently, several zoos in Japan published their achievements of the researches actively. However, the survey and research are not so encouraged in zoos as they do not have enough time to do it nor know how to do it. On the beginning of Hiroshima City Asa Zoological Park, “Survey and Research” has been regarded as one of the important missions of the zoo. The typical example is “Survey and research of the Giant Salamander in Japan”. This project started to contribute to conserve local nature. In order to summarizing the results of the survey and research, “Asa Zoo Seminar“ and “Archives of Asa Zoo Seminar“ have been published. Although survey and research in the zoo should be duty work to be paid salary, this is very difficult to complete. In Japan, the zoo was used to be considered as the place to enjoy seeing rare animals, however, now it is recognized to have important functions of species conservation and education due to the efforts of our pioneers. So we need to keep going for research and to make efforts to change the public understanding that the zoo is responsible for research for the next generation.