｜Length : 28min. ｜Year : 1996 ｜

Hooked on Preservation

Shinzo Igarashi, known as the "Char Man," is dedicated to hooking the Nikko Char sport fish. But he prizes his catch neither as a meal nor a trophy. Instead, the 68-year-old Igarashi carries the char in a tank on his back to the isolated source of a mountain stream. There he releases the fish, an endangered species, to multiply in safety.

｜Length : 20min. ｜Year : 1995 ｜

What is the only gem that does not require cutting, grinding or polishing? The pearl, of course, and of the some 100,000 kinds of shellfish, only six can be used to produce these lustrous natural jewels. One of the best known pearl oysters is the Akoya variety which produces smaller pearls of superb shape, color, and luster. This program explains how pearls are produced, why Japanese pearls have that distinctive luster, and why cultivated pearls are superior to natural ones.

｜Length : 45min. ｜Year : 1995 ｜

Although the snow goose was once plentiful in East Asia, it has now almost disappeared from the region. The Japanese Association for wild Geese Protection is involved in a joint Japanese, Russian, and American project which is using white-fronted geese to parent snow geese. A family of eight Snow Geese and one wild goose was recently spotted by television cameras. And satellite imagery has revealed for the first time the Snow Goose's migratory pattern in Asia.

｜Length : 47min. ｜Year : 1992 ｜

In 1989, a large pelican suddenly began paying daily visits to a kindergarten in the city of Ube. The friendly big bird, named "Katta," was hatched in an incubator in the zoo nearby. A bird is often convinced that the first thing it sees after birth is its parent. Katta was no exception in this respect as he was brought up surrounded by people. But while attending the kindergarten every day, the young bird fell in love with its own reflection in a mirror. The documentary portrays the loving relationship that develops between the kindergarten pupils, teachers and the famous pelican.

｜Length : 12min. ｜Year : 1992 ｜

At the Takasaki Natural Zoo in Oita Prefecture, monkeys run free. "The Dragon on Monkey Mountain" is a humorous but informative look at the daily activities of the monkeys through the eyes of "Dragon," a "boss monkey" who leads one of the zoo's three monkey troops. Dragon's lively narration guides viewers through the documentary, which shows how the monkeys interact with each other - and with the human visitors to the zoo.