The Storks of Toyooka

 

Oriental White Storks, konotori in Japanese, used to be widespread around Japan. The last one died in Toyooka in 1971.

It seems the primary cause of their extirpation was the huge amount of chemicals used in modern Japanese agriculture.

A captive breeding program was started in Toyooka in the 1960s but without success. Russia donated three pairs of storks, and in 1989, the first chick was born, with more chicks born in successive years.

To enable the storks to survive in the wild the area began a program of helping local farmers to reduce the amount of chemicals used and to allow their paddies to remain flooded for longer so that the natural food of the storks could proliferate.

They also erected artificial poles with platforms on to replace the natural nesting sites of the storks on top of mature pine trees, all of which had long since been cut down. Finally in 2005 storks were released into the wild and have been successfully breeding since then.

Images of storks abound around the Toyooka, and its possible to see storks in the wild while driving, but on the opposite side of the river to Kinosaki Onsen is the Hachigoro Toshima Wetlands, a nature preserve where the helpful staff will let you use telescopes and binoculars to see storks in the wild, and even have livecams on some of the nests. (first 4 photos)

Closer to Toyoka City is the Hyogo Park of the Oriental White Stork where you can see wild storks as well as captive breeding program and a museum dedicated to the stork and the story of Toyooka's reintroduction. (last 4 photos)

The previous post on things to see and do in the Toyooka area was on the Benzaiten Shrine near the Toshima Wetlands.