Specialist Zookeeper Makes Animals’ Lives Comfortable in Kofu, Japan
KOFU — Mitsuyo Ito fell in love with animals when she visited Yuki Zoo in Kofu as a young girl. And now, Ito is giving back to the zoo — and its animals — by working as one of three specialist staff hired this year and tasked with ensuring all its critters have comfortable living environments.
Mitsuyo Ito, a 25-year-old zookeeper in Kofu, Japan, found her passion for animals during childhood visits to Yuki Zoo. Now, she works as one of three specialists hired this year to ensure the animals' living conditions are comfortable. On April 21, Ito was watching a sensitive pony in its enclosure, noting her need for environmental adjustments to feel at ease.
Ito, born in Kai, Yamanashi Prefecture, has been visiting the zoo annually since her childhood, developing a love for animals that sparked her studies in farm animal behavior at Shinshu University. Upon graduation, she worked at a pet-related company in Saitama Prefecture, but learned of the zoo's hiring of animal specialists in fiscal 2025.
These specialists focus on creating comfortable environments for zoo animals based on animal welfare principles. Ito and her two colleagues will develop enrichment plans and conduct surveys, aiming to tailor the zoo experience to each animal's personality. The zoo is currently undergoing renovations and will reopen next fiscal year.
"I'll do my best to make this zoo a place that many people enjoy visiting," Ito declared, determined to create a comfortable environment for all the zoo's animals.
Written by urgent.news from The Japan News by The Yomiuri Shimbun's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
