Chimpanzees face food shortage as zookeeper steals, sells their food
What's the story
A 47-year-old zookeeper at Tennoji Zoo in Osaka prefecture, western Japan, has been accused of stealing food meant for animals under his care. The allegations came to light after the zoo reported a series of unusual fruit and vegetable losses from their animal food bank to the police. The man, whose identity remains undisclosed, was caught on October 1 sneaking out with monkeys and chimpanzees' food. The police are still investigating to ascertain his motive behind these actions.
Investigation unfolds
Investigation leads to zookeeper's arrest
For roughly a month preceding the arrest, Tennoji Zoo authorities noticed that the chimps' food supply was declining at an unusual rate. Kiyoshi Yasufuku, the zoo's vice director, said he could not convey how sorry he was for the keeper's actions. The zoo also apologized for "hurting people's trust" and promised to strictly handle the situation and prevent it from happening again. The popular century-old zoo is home to 1,000 animals from roughly 170 species.
Comments
Comments pour in
After the news surfaced, netizens were quick to side with the primates, with one user commenting, "Poor monkeys. Even though commodity prices are rising, there are things a proper person should never do." According to job tag, a job search website run by Japan's Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare, the average yearly wage for Japanese zookeepers is 3.6 million yen (US$24,000). In 2023, the average annual salary was 4.6 million yen (US$31,000), as per the National Tax Agency.
Hippopotamus
Zoo mistook female hippopotamus for male
The same zoo was in the news in April after it reportedly mistook a 12-year-old female hippopotamus for a male since its arrival at the zoo in 2017. A DNA test was performed after zookeepers discovered that 12-year-old Gen-chan did not exhibit typical male hippo behavior. Gen-chan arrived from Mexico in 2017, and customs documents at the time said she was male.