Wildlife In Sapporo

Sapporo is a big city with about 2 million people but you can see wild animals easily.

1. The Hokkaido Squirrel

The Hokkaido Squirrel lives in Hokkaido widely plains to an elevation of about 1700 meters. Its fur is a protective color, mouse gray and dark brown in summer and grayish brown in winter. It has big ears and a 20 centimetres fluffy tail which is useful to keep its balance on a tree. In the day it eats fruits and nuts, for example walnuts, mountain grapes, Japanese yew and acorns, and sometimes eats insects. You can see a Hokkaido Squirrel really up close but don’t feed them due to a risk of disease.

2. The Ezo Red Fox

The Ezo Red Fox lives in the entire area of Hokkaido. It’s fur is reddish-brown and white. It’s about 70 centimetres in body length and its weight is 2.5 to 10 kilograms. It eats mice mainly but also fish, fruit and food scraps. In the past, the Ezo Red fox had been hunted in pursuit of its fur by the Ainu who are the native people in Hokkaido. When you see an Ezo Red Fox, don’t feed or touch them. They can get sick as a result of our food and people can get echinococcosis caused by parasites living on them.

3. The Ezo Brown Bear

The Ezo Brown Bear is 1.5 to 2 meters long and weighs 100 to 400 kilograms. It is the largest wild animal on land in Japan. Its claws are 5 to 8 centimetres and they are useful to climb trees and dig burrows and eat insects. It has a good nose to search for food and protect itself.  Amazingly it can run at 40 to 50 kilometres an hour. Sapporo is surrounded by forests where bears live, so you may encounter them. Check the report of bear sightings when you visit Sapporo.

https://www.city.sapporo.jp/kurashi/animal/choju/kuma/syutsubotsu/index.html

Be careful when you run into wildlife!!

https://www.visit-hokkaido.jp/category/59

(Mifuyu)