Asian elephants are seen at Sapporo Maruyama Zoo in Sapporo’s Chuo Ward on Aug. 5, 2025. (Mainichi/Kenichi Mito)
SAPPORO — The recent surge in crop prices has even hit Japan’s zoos, where the cost of feeding animals is rising and making procurement difficult. At Sapporo Maruyama Zoo, help has come from ANA Foods Co., a Tokyo-based food trading company, and Sunoupuru Sapporo, a local fruit wholesaler.
In July, the two companies began donating bananas, apples and other fruit that could not be sold as products. Bananas, a favorite of elephants and monkeys and consumed at the zoo at a rate of 250 kilograms per month, are now supplied entirely through donations.
This year, poor weather has led to unstable harvests and higher prices for agricultural products. Fruit for household consumption is about 20% more expensive than normal, and animal feed fruit is up about 10%.
Feed is essential for zoos, and at Maruyama Zoo, feed costs account for just under 10% of the total budget, so price hikes have a significant impact on operations. While the zoo has managed to get by after negotiating prices and searching for cheaper suppliers, it consulted Co-op Sapporo, which already supports the zoo’s polar bear program. The co-op then reached out to business partners ANA Foods and Sunoupuru for help.
Sapporo Mayor Katsuhiro Akimoto, second from right, presents certificates of appreciation to representatives of three companies for their ongoing fruit donations to Sapporo Maruyama Zoo, on Sept. 4, 2025. (Mainichi/Kenichi Mito)
The three companies agreed to make use of fruit that would otherwise be discarded or returned to producers due to the removal of products from their packaging during import inspections or not meeting size standards. As part of their food waste reduction efforts, they decided to support the zoo.
According to the companies, ANA Foods now provides 250 kg of Vietnamese bananas per month, while Sunoupuru Sapporo supplies 150 kg of Aomori apples, 200 kg of Mikkabi mandarins from Shizuoka Prefecture, and sweet potatoes from Oita Prefecture (with quantities still being adjusted). The fruit is mainly fed to elephants, monkeys and brown bears. All the bananas and two-thirds of the mandarins eaten by the zoo’s animals now come from donations.
Akio Sonoda, manager of ANA Foods’ Sapporo branch, said, “These are foods that are perfectly safe for people to eat — they’re just not suitable for sale as products. We’re happy to help.” Sunoupuru Sapporo President Kazutoshi Ogara added, “We want to keep supporting the zoo for a long time.” Zoo director Aya Shirouzu expressed gratitude, saying, “No matter how high prices go, we can’t reduce the amount of feed. The animals eat a lot, so this support is a big help.”
On Sept. 4, Sapporo Mayor Katsuhiro Akimoto presented certificates of appreciation to the three companies for their ongoing donations. “This is a tremendous help,” Akimoto said. “The zoo can also serve as a place to learn about the effects of climate change. I hope many citizens will become aware of this effort.”
(Japanese original by Kenichi Mito, Hokkaido News Department)
AloJapan.com