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Zou no Inai Doubutsuen
Un Zoo sans Eléphant ／ Zoo Without an Elephant ／ Zoo without an Elephant ／ Zō no Inai Dōbutsuen ／ 象のいない動物園
Description
After the war, Hide, a brother concerned for his critically ill sister Miyoko, promises to arrange a visit for her to see a real elephant. When he goes to the zoo to find one, an elderly man recounts the tragic day when the zoo’s animals were slaughtered. The narrative reflects true historical events at Tokyo’s Ueno Zoo, where, during World War II, dangerous animals were killed, by starvation, poisoning, firing squad, and decapitation, to prevent them from wreaking havoc if Allied bombings caused the animals to escape. Tokyo was bombed more than a year later, and the Ueno Zoo never suffered any direct attack.
