Several endangered species and animals banned for sale are among the hundreds of birds, reptiles and mammals that researchers have identified in cafes across Japan.
In the Asian country, it is possible to drink coffee while an owl lands on the customers’ heads. Another animal that sets up entertainment scenes in bars are live penguins. In some cases, the consumer manages to buy the animals and take them home, without proper inspection and control.
In a survey of animal cafes in Japan, published in the journal Conservation Science and Practice, the researchers found 3,793 animals, belonging to 419 different species, 52 of which are threatened with extinction. Among the exotic species, nine endangered animals were found, such as slow lorises, endangered, and turtles, strictly prohibited in international trade.
“Some species we saw are of very questionable origins,” said Marie Sigaud, a veterinarian and wildlife biologist at the National Museum of Natural History in Paris. Many of the animals are “likely wild-caught, and this has implications for their long-term survival.”
In a cafe, ecologist Cécile Sarabian found animals of different species huddled together in a small room where people could touch them while they drank. Many of the animals are under stress and “it’s an excellent interface for exchanging potential pathogens,” Cécile said.
Laws governing animal cafes are “quite weak,” Sarabian added — and researchers are calling on Japan’s government to strengthen them.
Exotic animal cafes are not exclusive to Japan. Since the first animal cafe opened in Taiwan in 1998, featuring both dogs and cats, the concept has quickly spread across the region.
A study done in 2020 identified 111 companies in Asia, mostly in Japan. The same coffees were found in China, Thailand, Taiwan, Indonesia, South Korea, Vietnam, Philippines and Cambodia. Japan, however, seems to have become “the epicenter of the phenomenon”.