Aigo & Animal Welfare in Japan
Leaving Familiar Territory
Many of you probably don’t know that I left my full-time job of the last ten years despite an unwavering commitment to advancing animal welfare. In some respects, it was a crazy decision; Lincoln Park Zoo is making a positive impact on animals (both on grounds and outside the gates), and my colleagues are brave, informed, and effective at advocating for progress. We accomplished so much together over the last decade, from changing the way people interact with animals on zoo grounds, to influencing policies that affect hundreds of zoos nationwide, to supporting state and federal legislative efforts to protect the well-being of captive wildlife.
However, there was a voice inside me that I couldn’t quiet (and the voice of two kids still young enough to want my attention), reminding me that there are a lot of ways that I want to try living in this short life. Right now, I’m working on a book and consulting to evaluate welfare and apply science to advocate for animals. Lucky for me, some of that work involves my Lincoln Park Zoo colleagues and advocating for the welfare of chimpanzees across the country. Another opportunity that I welcomed in this new phase was a visit to Kyoto, Japan, to talk with zoo and aquarium professionals about strategies for advancing animal welfare.
A view of some of the primate housing at Kyoto City Zoo, taken from above.
The Meaning of Aigo: Love and Protection
Two things struck me during my conversations with Japanese colleagues. First, my impression of the range of positive feelings people can have toward animals expanded when I learned about the concept of aigo. Now, I am certain that my couple of weeks in Japan were not sufficient to provide me a full understanding of the nuance of the term, nor an understanding of how widely held this perspective is. However, as I understand, aigo refers to a feeling of love and protection. It's a beautiful concept rooted in a deep respect for animal life. It can motivate great care for animals, and, sometimes, it can prolong suffering as people with a strong feeling of aigo may prioritize keeping the animal alive when the animal is too old or ill to experience a good quality of life. Feelings in the room were mixed, and we had several discussions about whether and when euthanasia can be used to ensure an animal doesn’t suffer. I think one of the most useful things that I shared was that, in my experience, even when people agree euthanasia should be used, accepting this can be incredibly difficult for those who cared for the animal, and opinions still vary about when the time is “right.”
Shared Questions about Animal Welfare, Different Languages
The second thing that struck me was how similar the themes being discussed by the Japanese Association of Zoos and Aquariums were to those I’ve heard over the last couple of years among colleagues in the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. For example, despite a push to measure the welfare of all animals in zoos and aquariums, there was a feeling of frustration about how little information is available about what good welfare looks like outside of mammals. There was the universal challenge of finding enough time to do all that one wanted to do to evaluate and improve welfare. There was the question of what to do about “the bad actors” – in the U.S., we struggle with unaccredited “roadside zoos” compromising the integrity of the industry, and in Japan there is the problem of exotic animal cafes in which the public (usually tourists) can pay to play with animals like an owl or an otter. There was also the question of how to engage visitors and allow them to be close to animals while safeguarding animal wellbeing and animal choice. These common themes reassured me that our efforts are part of a much larger, international movement toward more compassionate and evidence-based care.
A sign near Kyoto City Zoo’s interactive goat yard. The sign is another striking similarity between the US and Japan, as Lincoln Park Zoo similarly posted a visual to encourage people to behave in ways that help the goats feel comfortable.
Standing on the other side of the world, I was reminded that care for animals will look different, but the thoughtfulness around it brings us together. That realization left me feeling hopeful—and deeply thankful to all who invite me into these conversations. Thank you to Dr. Yumi Yamanashi for the invitation, to the Kyoto City Zoo for hosting, to the Toyota Foundation for financial support, to Dr. Miaka Ogawa for translation and perspective, to Dr. Sam Ward for great welfare partnership during this visit, and to all the new colleagues I met who shared their thoughts, ideas, and culture with me. And thank you for reading.
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Learn More
Learn more about my host (animal welfare scientist and primatologist), Dr. Yumi Yamanashi, here.
Learn more about the Japanese Association of Zoos and Aquariums (JAZA) here.
Learn more about Lincoln Park Zoo’s animal welfare research and advocacy here. Scroll down to Related Content to find several short reports.
Related Animals & Us blogs
While I was in Japan, the world lost Jane Goodall. I was lucky to see her just a couple of weeks before she passed and attempted to capture some of her inspiration for you here.
Measuring welfare outside of mammals (and in mammals, actually!) is difficult. In What does a happy toad look like?, I shared one way we can understand how a rarely studied species feels.
