MICROCHIPPING JAPANESE ANIMALS

[Guest guest]

http://news./news?tmpl=story & cid=570 & ncid=570 & e=8 & u=/nm/20051013/sc_nm/\

life_japan_animals_dc_2 

Japan to require microchips for 'dangerous' animals Thu Oct 13, 4:20 AM ET

 

 

 

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan is moving towards requiring owners of potentially

dangerous animals, such as crocodiles and pythons, to have microchips implanted

in their pets in case the animals get loose, officials said on Thursday.

 

 

 

The move follows a recent wave of incidents around the nation in which animals

such as pythons, crocodiles and giant salamanders have been found wandering

loose, frequently on the streets of densely populated cities.

 

In one notorious case, a man lost track of his pet python after he took the

animal " for a walk " in a park and the snake fled when the man fell asleep on a

bench. He was quoted by one TV station as saying he was surprised the snake

disappeared because it wasn't that kind of snake.

 

The Environment Ministry is drawing up a law that would require tiny cylindrical

microchips -- 1 centimetre (0.4 inch) long and 2 millimetres (0.08 inch) in

diameter -- implanted under the skin of some 650 animal species, a ministry

official said.

 

Each microchip would carry information making it possible to trace the owner if

the animal goes missing.

 

Among the animals included in the proposed law, which is likely to come into

effect from next January, are various snakes, snapping turtles and bears. " There

was a sense that it is good to have better management of these kinds of

animals, " the official said. Exotic animals such as reptiles have become

increasingly popular pets in Japan over the last few years, largely because they

are clean and quiet and usually reside in terrariums -- a big plus in the

nation's cramped apartments, which often forbid ownership of more common

four-footed friends.

 

With escapes becoming more frequent, however, calls have risen for tighter

regulation of such pets.

 

In the past week alone, police in Kanagawa prefecture, just west of Tokyo, were

called out to capture a green iguana and a 66-centimetre giant salamander, while

a woman in downtown Tokyo found a 1-metre-long python curled up on some quilts

in a closet.

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

What's ironic about having any animal microchipped is that many of the

Government facilities that should have the scanners do not have them. OAARS has

attempted to donate scanners, help scan animals brought in to the Okinawa

Prefecture Animal Protection center and so far have been turned down. As of

last June the new GOJ regulations state that any cat or dog entering Japanese

borders must have a microchip, while this is a step forward controling the pet

abandonment problem there's much more to be done.

 

OAARS, and others concerned with animal welfare also pushed for a regulation for

DOD personnel to microchip all their pets already on Island. Vet clinic and

Kennel on the Military bases do have scanners, the Okinawan facility does not.

If an animal becomes lost and captrued by the Okinawa Animal Control the

probability of being recouped by it's owner is almost zero since they have no

way of telling whether is an Okinawan or American owned animal. It would also

help the Military officials hold responsible anyone that might have abandoned a

pet outside the bases when leaving the Island. Unfortunately, the Okinawa

Animal Center will not make any compromises to allow OAARS volunteers to come

scan any animal at this time, the only way we can be allowed to do this if we

have proof a lost animal is there and can only scan that particular animal.

 

Thanks for posting.

 

Liz

OAARS

 

<shubhobrotoghosh wrote:

http://news./news?tmpl=story & cid=570 & ncid=570 & e=8 & u=/nm/20051013/sc_nm/\

life_japan_animals_dc_2

Japan to require microchips for 'dangerous' animals Thu Oct 13, 4:20 AM ET

 

 

 

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan is moving towards requiring owners of potentially

dangerous animals, such as crocodiles and pythons, to have microchips implanted

in their pets in case the animals get loose, officials said on Thursday.

 

 

 

The move follows a recent wave of incidents around the nation in which animals

such as pythons, crocodiles and giant salamanders have been found wandering

loose, frequently on the streets of densely populated cities.

 

In one notorious case, a man lost track of his pet python after he took the

animal " for a walk " in a park and the snake fled when the man fell asleep on a

bench. He was quoted by one TV station as saying he was surprised the snake

disappeared because it wasn't that kind of snake.

 

The Environment Ministry is drawing up a law that would require tiny cylindrical

microchips -- 1 centimetre (0.4 inch) long and 2 millimetres (0.08 inch) in

diameter -- implanted under the skin of some 650 animal species, a ministry

official said.

 

Each microchip would carry information making it possible to trace the owner if

the animal goes missing.

 

Among the animals included in the proposed law, which is likely to come into

effect from next January, are various snakes, snapping turtles and bears. " There

was a sense that it is good to have better management of these kinds of

animals, " the official said. Exotic animals such as reptiles have become

increasingly popular pets in Japan over the last few years, largely because they

are clean and quiet and usually reside in terrariums -- a big plus in the

nation's cramped apartments, which often forbid ownership of more common

four-footed friends.

 

With escapes becoming more frequent, however, calls have risen for tighter

regulation of such pets.

 

In the past week alone, police in Kanagawa prefecture, just west of Tokyo, were

called out to capture a green iguana and a 66-centimetre giant salamander, while

a woman in downtown Tokyo found a 1-metre-long python curled up on some quilts

in a closet.