Protect Japanese Squirrel

12/12/2015

Karuizawa is one of the rare habitats of Japanese Squirrel.  We sometimes see them in forest areas. As the town develops and the fragmentation of the forest goes forward, its population is observed to be decreasing in recent years.

    Some people in the town are very active to protect the Japanese Squirrel. Kazusa Nakamaru, a professional writer in the town, is one of them. She had been working in Tokyo for long time. She moved to Karuizawa in 2012, when she was fascinated by squirrels in the forest near her house, and began photographing them.

    She published a photo and essay book "Mellow, the Japanese Squirrel" in August 2014.   Since then, she launched a civil activity "Mellow, the Japanese Squirrel, the project from Karuizawa" to protect Japanese Squirrel in the town. The project raises a fund to protect the town forest through her educational seminars and photo exhibitions events in various cities in Japan.

    When you see squirrels in town, please remember environmental situations being faced by them, and people who pay significant effort to protect them.