Japanese Wartime Zoo Policy The Silent Victims of World War II [Hardcover]

This book examines Japanese wartime zoo policy during World War II, analyzing the reasons why the Home Ministry destroyed more than 300 showpiece animals throughout Japan well before U.S. air strikes were anticipated, with international comparisons of the effects of the war on zoos in Europe, the United States, and the Middle East.Introduction:?'Disposal of Dangerous Animals' as Japan's National Policy Historical Background: Creation of Modern Zoos and Militarism in Japan Zoos in Eastern Japan and World War II Zoos in Western Japan and World War II Zoos in Central Japan and World War II Zoos in Southwestern Japan and Japan's Exterior Territories and World War II Zoos in Europe and World War II Zoos in the United States and World War II Zoos in Japan in the Early Postwar Years Conclusion: Assessment of Japanese Wartime Zoo Policy

This is a very important policy area that has not been addressed in the English-speaking world. The material in the opening chapter on the plight of zoo animals in Haiti, Baghdad, and Kabul puts the experiences of WWII zoos in Asia and Europe in a new light and makes one wonder whether humans ever learn from past mistakes. The author has done a wonderful job of researching and documenting this subject. I have absolutely no doubt that this is a definitive study in this area. It is simply one of the best researched and documented books I have ever seen and is truly an original piece of policy research. - Ronald Hrebenar, Professor of Political Science and Associate Director of Asian Studies, University of Utah

This is an excellent account of a little known and sad aspect of zoo history. With a review of zoo history in Japan and the fate of zoo animals throughout the world during WW II, it puts the fate of Japanese zoos in context with unsettling detail. As a result of difficult and important research, the author has uncovered and presented the effects of war on yet another cultural institution, along with the lack lœ