Guest guest Posted November 5, 2001 Report Share Posted November 5, 2001 http://www.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/getarticle.pl5?nn20011106b2.htm New addition to Nagoya aquarium opens NAGOYA (Kyodo) The latest section of the Port of Nagoya Public Aquarium opened to the public last week in Minato Ward here. The new addition to the facility cost around 18.6 billion yen and is large enough to house a tank containing six bottlenose dolphins and six beluga whales. The tank has a window some 29 meters long and 4 meters high, they said. The four-story building has floor space of around 21,000 sq. meters. The circular tank is Japan's largest at around 60 meters wide and 30 meters high and is also one of the world's largest. The prefectural government shouldered part of the construction cost. A killer whale was to be the main attraction of the new wing, but the aquarium has not yet been able to procure one. " It's too bad the killer whale was not able to make it in time, " said Itaru Uchida, head of the aquatic park. Aquarium officials have launched efforts to either borrow a killer whale from an aquarium or park overseas or capture one, he added. A local group said it opposes the raising of a killer whale in the park because it would shorten the mammal's life. The activists said they have collected some 4,000 signatures supporting their cause and plan further efforts to rally the public against the plan. Manatee born Oct. 13 NAHA, Okinawa Pref. (Kyodo) A female manatee calf was born at the Okinawa Expo Aquarium in the town of Motobu, Okinawa Prefecture, on Oct. 13, aquarium officials said last week. The 1.15-meter, 28-kg calf has been swimming with its mother in a tank. The aquarium said it plans to show the West Indian manatee calf to the public and invite suggestions for a name after its health and that of its mother stabilize. Tasuku Nagasaki, deputy chief of the aquarium's breeding section, said human feeding of the calf may not be necessary because it is suckling satisfactorily and is expected to grow well. Three other aquariums in Japan have manatees, but the Okinawa facility is the only one that has been successful in breeding one. There have been four manatees born there since its opening in 1974. The manatee, a large marine mammal similar to the dugong, is on the verge of extinction and is designated as an endangered species under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. Manatees have cigar-shaped bodies and square snouts. They range in length from 3 to 4 meters and weigh 450 to 900 kg. Their average life span is 60 to 70 years. Like dugongs, sightings of manatees are believed to have given rise to the myth of mermaids and sirens. The Japan Times: Nov. 6, 2001 © All rights reserved Find a job, post your resume. http://careers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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