The Tokyo Daruma Pond Frog (Rana (Rana) porosa porosa) was assumed to have invaded from Honshu into Hokkaido before the 1990's (Saito et al.1998). However, it has become clear that the distribution of this pond frog is even now restricted to a small paddy area around Iwamizawa in central Hokkaido. Population density was high especially at old style paddy fields and shallow earth ditches. The restricted distribution of the pond frog could be related to the following: 1) As a result of field improvement, irrigation and drainage systems were changed from shallow earth brooks and ditches to deep, concrete-sided ones whose walls are too high for pond frogs to jump over; 2) Weeding out of footpaths around paddy fields and canals resulted in a decrease of food insects for the frogs; 3) Improvement of paddy field drainage limited the pond frog habitat after the irrigation season. Fortunately, paddy field improvement is considered an effective barrier of distributional expansion of pond frogs whose habitat was earthen brooks and ditches. It is ironic that the invasive frogs' activity is restricted by unnatural artificial paddy field improvements.

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Status of brown bear, Ursus arctos, in the Kunashiri Island has been poorly reported in Japan, because the Kunashiri Island is one of the area with territorial problem between Japan and Russia. We estimated minimum numbers of brown bears per survey distance in the Kunashiri and in the Shiretoko peninsula study areas. They were 1.29 (individuals/km) in July 2000 in Kunashiri, 0.075 and 0.096 in July and October 1992 in Shiretoko, respectively. Numbers of feeding signs and feces per survey distance were 2.4 (sites/km) in July on the Kunashiri, 1.2 and 1.4 in July and October on the Shiretoko, respectively. These indicate that the brown bear density in Kunashiri is higher than that in Shiretoko. We propose a strategy for the conservation of brown bear on the Kunashiri Island.

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We conducted a mail-questionnaire survey on people's attitudes to 20 species of wild mammals among residents in the five satellite cities of Tokyo Metropolitan area in 1995: Okutama, Hinode, and Naruse of Tokyo Metropolitan, Mikajima of Saitama prefecture, and Chosei of Chiba prefecture, all of which lie 30-70 km from the center of Tokyo. Two sets of the inquiry sheet were sent to each household. The highest number of species, around six, were favored by the residents in forested areas, Okutama and Hinode, followed by the inhabitants of the suburb of Naruse, and the lowest, around four, by the rustics Mikajima and Chosei with abundant farmland. In all of the areas, small mammals such as squirrel and hare tended to be favored, while the animals such as wolf, bear, and hedgehog, were not. This trend may be influenced by emotional images of the animals rather than rational factors based on biology: animals imaged as tiny, friendly, and harmless tended to be favored, while those thought as large, strange, scary, and dangerous tended to be disliked, irrespective of the realities. Residents inhabiting forested areas tended to favor the animals, perhaps because they see these animals more often.

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Informations of apple, rice and vegetable damage by Japanese monkeys (Macaca fuscata fuscata) in the Nishimeya village neighbouring Shirakami-sanchi World Heritage Area were collected from farmers working at their cultivated fields through 46 days in September and October, 1999 and March, 2000. In winter the monkeys gave damage for winter buds and cluster base of apples. Damage to apple fruits occurred from September to November as harvest season, eight apple gardens were abandoned because of serious damage during 1975-2000. Apple cultivation abandoned by monkey damage when exceeds 30% of total apple harvest (300 boxes of 1000 boxes per ha), then the grades with monkey damage were distributed on within 50 boxes by "a little", 50-200 boxes by "frequent", and 200-300 boxes by "serious". Each farmer damaged protects their apples from monkey invasion by electric fence, propane cannons, air-rifle, and turkey breeding under village office financial support, and driving away by dogs, and watching by farmers. Recently, abandonment of apple gardens surrounded by electric fence happened. This is agro-economic problem apart from monkey damage.

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