Japanese zoo recovers 38 of 30 escaped squirrels

Tokyo - Zookeepers searching for 30 squirrels that escaped from a Japanese zoo under cover of a typhoon have been extremely successful in tracking down the animals. To their surprise they have recovered 38 squirrels, eight more than they were looking for.

Thirty Japanese squirrels made a daring break from Tokyo's Inokashira Park Zoo last week, fleeing after Typhoon Guchol felled a tree that left an escape hole in their enclosure. Digital Journal reported that zookeepers faced a challenge in recovering the animals and resorted to baiting traps with the favourite foods. Naharnet now reports zoo spokeswoman Eri Tsushima has revealed that their efforts have been a resounding success as 38 of the missing 30 squirrels have been recovered. The squirrel numbers have been swelled as hunters caught wild squirrels from the surrounding park area in addition to the zoo inhabitants. Even though the zoo now has more squirrels than it lost Tsushima said "We still receive about four to five reports a day from witnesses. We will continue setting traps as long as people keep reporting squirrel sightings to us." She went on to clarify that all the squirrels would be checked to ensure those returned to captivity have the microchips implanted by the zoo.