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MONTHLY NEWS June 1997 Endangered Owl Egg Artificially Hatched |
A chick of the Blakiston's fish owl, an endangered species indigenous to Japan that has been designated as a national natural monument, was artificially hatched in the city of Nemuro, Hokkaido, in mid-April.
Blakiston's fish owl, with a wingspan of nearly 1.8 meters, is among the largest owl species in the world. It can be found in the wild in eastern and central Hokkaido. The species is on the verge of extinction and is under government protection. At most, there are believed to be only about 100 such owls left. The chick was born in an incubator on April 16 under the care of a local Environment Agency official. The owlet weighed only about 60 grams at the time of birth. It has grown to 1. 2 kilograms as of May 12--about half the size of an adult. The chick eats about 250 grams of fish and meat a day and is expected to be fully grown by mid-June.
Photo: The owl 25 days after hatching. (Sumio Yamamoto) 
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