Hanako (elephant)

Arrival in Japan and Ueno Zoo In the aftermath of World War II and the starvation of Ueno Zoo's previous elephants, , the president of Japanese publishing company Kodansha, arranged with the Thai businessman Somwang Sarasas and Thai prime minister Plaek Phibunsongkhram to export an elephant from Thailand. Sarasas selected his elephant Gajah, also called Gachako, a young calf who had been born in 1947 in Thailand. He and Phibunsongkhram donated her to Japan on behalf of the Boy Scouts of Thailand. 1949. Japan National Railways organized a train to take her from the port to her new home at Ueno Zoo. During stops, Gajah was forced to exit the train and greet crowds of children. Her keeper had originally planned for a truck to transport her from Shimbashi Station to Ueno Zoo, but, due to the crowds, he was forced to walk with her for the final part of their journey through Tokyo. A few weeks after Hanako's arrival, she was joined by the older Indira. Indira was gifted to Japan by Indian prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru, and she, at first, "eclipsed" Hanako's arrival. Once both elephants were on display, ten thousand people came to the zoo to see them. The proceeds where used to purchase another elephant, Jumbo, to live with Hanako and Indira, though this had the side effect of crowding all three elephants. Transfer to Inokashira Park Zoo and killings In March 1954, Hanako was moved to live by herself at Inokashira Park Zoo. entered the elephant habitat one night in 1956, Hanako killed him. His naked corpse was discovered the next day by zookeepers, leading them to believe that Hanako had removed his clothing. was caught in her chains and she accidentally trampled him to death. She was locked away in chains; after which he refused to see her in order so that she could get used to her new keepers. Her life was also the basis for a 2007 television special '''' () and a children's book called ''Hanako the Elephant: That's why she's here'' () was written about her.In 2015, Canadian animal rights activist Ulara Nakagawa wrote a blog post condemning Hanako's living conditions and calling the elephant habitat at Inokashira a "concrete prison". Hanako's enclosure, which she had lived in by herself ever since her arrival at Inokashira, lacked greenery and was made of concrete in a style similar to many other Japanese animal enclosures. Hanako only had access to a small pool and a sheltered room. In response to Nakagawa's post, Hanako was nicknamed the "loneliest elephant in the world" and members of the public started a petition encouraging the zoo to improve her living situation Inokashira Park Zoo did agree to make certain changes to Hanako's living spaces, such as by giving her more toys to play with. == Personality and health ==

According to one of Hanako's keepers, Kanai Kinsaku, Hanako was sensitive to human moods. According to Kanai, she refused to listen to him when he had recently argued with his wife and so he "had to maintain a calm state of mind in order to handle Hanako. By so doing, Hanako saved [his] marriage". == Death and legacy ==

On May 26, 2016, zookeepers discovered Hanako lying on the floor of her enclosure. They attempted to lift her upright to prevent her weight from causing internal injuries. She died later that afternoon, at the age of sixty-nine. until tied with her in 2022. The previous oldest elephant, , had died at the age of sixty-five in 2009. Inokashira Park Zoo turned her habitat into a permanent exhibit on her life and, as of 2023, every year on the anniversary of her death they receive letters about Hanako from zoo visitors. In 2017, a year after her death, Musashino city also started offering license plates for motorcycles shaped like Hanako. That same year, a statue of Hanako was erected by the north exit of Kichijōji Station. It was paid for by donations and designed by local artist Aki Fueda. The donations had been solicited by the city of Musashino, through the use of donation boxes at public facilities. In 2018, the city dressed Hanako's statue with a woven scarf in honour of the local mid-winter lights festivals, a practise which continued through at least 2020. After Hanako's death, Ulara Nakagawa started an organization called Elephants in Japan that was designed to research, raise awareness of, and advocate better conditions for other solitary elephants in Japan. ==See also==