Four zoos and aquariums in Tokyo, temporarily closed due to the coronavirus pandemic, have been reporting the everyday lives of their animals via their Twitter accounts.
Closed since last December, the parks are going to such efforts as posting photos of their animal residents to showcase their growth to the public.
These establishments are the Ueno Zoological Gardens in Taito Ward, the Tama Zoological Park in Hino, Tokyo Sea Life Park in Edogawa Ward and the Inokashira Park Zoo in Musashino.
Operated by the metropolitan government, the four facilities have been posting photos every day since late April, the beginning of the Golden Week holidays.
On Friday, for example, the Inokashira Park Zoo posted photos of its Japanese night herons, an endangered species of heron, and presented a quiz asking viewers to guess where the birds were in the breeding grounds.
On May 12, the zoo also posted videos of a grebe family and the larva of a Chinese windmill butterfly munching on a leaf, alongside a photo of its egg, allowing people to see how much it has grown.
Zookeeper Toshiaki Inoue, 56, captures such images in between his daily duties of feeding and cleaning the animals. Inoue also succeeded in capturing rare footage of a nocturnal Eurasian otter swimming in the daytime.
"If possible, I'd like people to visit the park and see [the animals]," said Inoue, adding that the videos and photos he shoots "reflect his perspective as a zookeeper" and he "would like to show people the animals' most charming moments."
The Tokyo Sea Life Park posted a photo on its Twitter account of a green sea slug protecting itself from enemies by attaching itself to the seaweed eelgrass of the same color.
On Saturdays and Sundays, the aquarium livestreams its water tanks on YouTube, with its staff acting as guides.
Meanwhile, the Ueno Zoological Gardens has recently posted photos of an Asian elephant born last October as it bathed, as well as a group of cotton-top tamarins staring at a camera.
The Tama Zoological Park has also posted a video of white stork chicks and various photos, including those of a flamingo estimated to be over 62 years old and motionlessly standing away from its flock.
An employee in charge at the Tokyo Zoological Park Society, a designated manager of the four facilities, said, "The animals are doing well even though the facilities are closed to the public. We hope you'll visit the parks when they're open again."
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