I went to Seven Park in Kashiwa with my husband on the weekend. We happened across a “zoo” inside the mall. I saw, from outside the entrance, a very lethargic looking dog, lying still in a small pen.
So, after some consideration I decided to pay the entry fee to check on the dog. Incidentally, his water bowl was empty so I asked the worker to re-fill it.
The main issue, though, was inside the “zoo” – in other words inside some dark box room. There were pens of animals such as many guinea pigs and rabbits squashed together.
There were a lot of screaming kids running around poking all the animals with their idiot parents.
The worst was a cage with two full grown pigs squashed together in it. They could hardly move and were desperately putting their snouts through the bars.
Now, I realise many of you might not give a shit or tell me that this is Japan, so I should be used to it. However, the image of those poor pigs hurt my heart.
Is there ANYTHING I can do to help them?
I contacted a Japanese animal protection agency last night but have yet to receive a reply.
TLDR – Poor abused animals trapped in a mall – how can I help?
18 comments
All the zoo in Japan are like this or even worse. No one care. Animals are considered as items and not like living creatures.
Maybe setting yourself up for a libel claim, but perhaps covert record a YouTube “exposé” and upload with a blank account and VPN etc?
Too edgy?
I’m surprised there’s an animal protection agency in Japan
I have seen this place also, and felt the same. Stupid business owner. Stupid parents.
Yeah, Japanese people don’t care about animals.
How many animal rights activists/vegans have you met in Japan?
I have seen similar in pet shops. Wallabies in a fish tank, so they could only stretch when lying down, monkeys in small bird cages and all that jazz. The problem is, as long as people go to these places or buy these animals, the business continues.
I think, it can only get better if the people learn about these things, are better informed and stop going/buying. The more the business dries up, the fewer animals have to suffer in such horrible conditions.
Japan has been getting better over the last decades, but is still nowhere near where it should be IMO. So spreading the word and educating the people, especially children, is likely what can turn this around, awfully slowly though.
Don’t look up the animal euthanasia stats for Japan… it’s depressing as fuck. The pet culture here (not everyone, of course) is pretty sickening.
[Is this where you went?](https://machitto.jp/kashiwa/30231/)
It’s a stupid idea to have zoo inside a shopping mall. Kids running and screaming everywhere.
There’s so much animal zoo/cafe abuse. I recently went to an animal cafe. The place was nasty. Something so sad too, it there was a bunny in the back corner in a cage, with some sort of condition that makes his head fully tilt sideways. There was also a giant black mould spore in the back corner spreading out about 15cm in all directions. Idk if the toxic mould caused a neurological condition or what, but it was heart breaking. Everyone comes to see the exotic snake, so nobody touches the regularly seen animals like the bunny. It looks like they just slop new food on top of the old without washing the dish. I really don’t understand how places can get away with this.
We literally left a negative review there on google. The animals were in such a bad state but the thing that pissed me off was the otters!!! The otters HAD NO WATER and just a tiny fish bowl to get themselves wet! Wth??? They are supposed to spend like 90 percent of their time swimming. I really did not like that place with all the animals and birds chained. The capybaras and other animals were so lifeless. We regretted going and we really hated how they treated the animals.
> We happened across a “zoo” inside the mall. I saw, from outside the entrance, a very lethargic looking dog, lying still in a small pen.
It was a Shih Zhu.. “shit zoo”..
I’ll get my coat..
Starts all with parents raising their children telling them animals are here for entertainment. Catching rare insects like mantis in summer. Visiting aquarium orca, dolphin show. Watching monkey shows.Selling dog puppies in shopping centers. Cat, owl, otter cafes and other stupid business ideas.
Doesn’t seem like Japanese care too much about wildlife. Always taking kids to capture bugs and taking them to the tidal pools to try to catch fish. Seems like Japanese society considers animals to be strictly here for our amusement. The zoos and aquariums I’ve been to have all been pretty depressing
I hope you can get those animals some help
God I hope you do get a response. There’s an aquarium in Izu where a bunch of sea turtles are left in a tiny pool to just swim tight circles all day 😭 it was the first time I seriously considered an act of eco activism by just setting them all free.
>screaming kids running around poking all the animals with their idiot parents
I’m sorry…
How about writing a review on their Google page?
Nothing you can do to help but raise awareness. Unfortunately what they consider “abuse” here is very different. It has to mean physical injury. Neglect doesn’t count (even though some of the prefectural law includes this clause).
I reported one of my neighbors for chaining their dogs and leaving him in a ditch. He was bone skinny. The city officer paid the owners a visit and then told me “everything is in order. There’s no mistreatment.” all they did was check if the dogs had had his rabies shot–that’s it.
If you’re up for it, you can do an expose and try to get your story out there. Japan would only change their ways if their perfect image were put on the line.
Well… this is Japan. I have told this story before and I am prepared for the down votes.
I was at a monkey cafe’ outside of Tokyo and we were eating and drinking and I said that it was on my bucket list to smoke a cigarette with a monkey and then have it full on bitch slap me across the face. It took a while and several cigarettes to get the monkey to slap me. Best night EVER!
I was in Yokosuka one time and my friend (who is Samoan) had a friend who was a sumo wrestler, so we went to see him perform. After that we all went to a friends bar where I asked the wrestler had he ever given anyone a pink-belly. He laughed and said not since he was a kid. After a few drinks, he asked if I wanted a pink belly, so I pulled up my shirt and he went for it. I kinda wasn’t expecting him to actually do it, but he did. I may be the only person who has been pink-bellied by a Sumo wrestler.