Declaration

The Wildlife Research Center of Kyoto University aims to promote scientific research and education on wild animals, and to contribute to the peaceful coexistence of living organisms on planet earth. Our mission can be summarized in the following three points. First, the center carries out basic research on endangered and threatened species of wild animals to promote conservation in their natural habitat, to improve their health and welfare in captivity, and to encourage the fusion of scientific approaches to advance our understanding of human nature. Second, the center integrates different areas of science to create new disciplines applicable to field settings and to encourage international collaboration for the symbiosis of humans and other living organisms. Third, in collaboration with zoos, sanctuaries, aquariums, and museums, the center promotes youth environmental education by offering them unique experiences with nonhuman animals, providing young people with a deeper insight into all aspects of nature, including ourselves.

Organization

The research conducted at the WRC focuses on endangered large animals from the viewpoints of Mind, Body, Life, Genome, and Health-Longevity. For this purpose, the WRC consists of the following 5 research departments, 1 endowed department, 3 research stations in Japan, and 7 field stations in Borneo and Africa.

Research departments

• Comparative Cognitive Science
• Zoo Science
• Conservation Biology
• Human Evolutionary Science
• Health and Longevity Science

Endowed department

• Welfare and Longevity Research

Research stations in Japan

• Koshima field station
• Yakushima field station
• Kumamoto Sanctuary

Field stations in Borneo and Africa

• Danum Valley in Borneo
• Ugala and Mahale in Tanzania
• Kahuzi and Wamba in Congo
• Mukaraba in Gabon
• Bossou-Nimba in Guinea