We were at Ueno zoo a week ago. The zoo itself was quite disappointing. The animals are being kept in tiny spaces. On the bright side, we did see a bunch of manuls. Even though they didn’t have much space to their enclosure either, we were glad to had met them. Since I’m quite bad at identifying mannuls I’d like to ask for help. Does anyone recognize manuls from the following pics?
Были в зоопарке Уено неделю назад. Сам зоопарк разочаровал сильно: маленькие клетки у больших животных, а маленькие животные живут большими кучками. Вольер с манулами тоже маленький, но всё было приятно повидать манульчиков. Может, кто-то сможет сказать, как зовут манулов на фото? По лицам их пока плохо различаю
Большое спасибо за фотопривет!
Мы были с Ромой в Уено два года назад и нам тоже не понравилось как выглядят экспозиционные вольеры, они действительно совсем небольшие и тёмные
Как выглядит не экспозиционная часть — не знаем.
Но при этом надо отдать должное зоо: манулы там разножаются и у местных манулов впечатляющая продолжительность жизни!
На первом фото Примула.
На втором не могу идентифицировать.
Надеюсь, одностепчане помогут ![]()
I will probably be going here in June, but what I’ve seen and heard about the enclosures definitely isn’t promising
. It might break my heart to see them cramped and dark like this, especially after seeing the big beautiful enclosure Mimi has at Korkeasaari. I would have hoped Tokyo could do better by their manuls.
I agree – hearing about the small and dark enclosures has really made me think twice about going to visit manuls in Japan. I don’t think my heart could take it.
I know it must cost a huge amount of money to run these zoos, and their revenue opportunities are limited, so I try to be understanding. I’m sure the zoos would also like to have more space. But I hope they make up for it by keeping the manuls healthy and providing as much stimulation as possible!
I hope you have a good time there nonetheless. Take lots of photos for us, please!
Oh excellent! I’m so glad that they have a space to run around in – thank you for reassuring me! ![]()
Hi, I just wanted to ask, does anybody have any info on how Saffron is doing? We haven’t had any news on her since spring, I think.
Hi, im going to be honest. Dont expect anything. They are really secretive. We still know nothing about Klyon and Yus got confirmed being alive and well for the first time since 2020 just earlier this summer.
As for Yus (and Draw), they posted this article last August 18.
English translation:
The Ueno Zoo’s two manuls, “Draw” (male) and “Yus” (female), are both 15 years old.
The lifespan of a manul is about 10 years in captivity, and even shorter in the wild, so the two animals can be considered quite elderly. As a result, both have deteriorating muscle strength, are less active and no longer climb high places, and are showing signs of aging, such as poor progress in hair shedding.
In addition, regular checkups have revealed that their kidneys are weakening. For these reasons, we terminated the exhibit and switched to keeping the animals in the management area.
In the management area, their appetite has increased and their physical condition has stabilized. In light of this situation, we have decided not to return the animals to the exhibit but to keep them in a quiet and peaceful environment.
We will continue to make every effort to ensure that Draw and Yus, who have contributed to our understanding of manuls over the years, can continue to live in peace and quiet.
(End of the article)
As for Saffron and Klyon…I have no idea ![]()
Thank you for the information! I’m very, very glad that Ueno have given Draw and Yus a peaceful place to grow old
I hope they enjoy their well-earned retirement!
I found an X post about Saffron.
It says:
2025.9.21 15:45〜
In the 4th photo is Figa.
In the other photos are Primula.
I asked the keeper about Saffron and he (or she) answered Saffron is still in hospital.
Thank you for the answer!
Sad news from the zoo — on October 30, 2025, the Pallas’s cat Draw (ドロー) passed away.
Draw was 15 years old, which is considered a very advanced age for a Pallas’s cat.
In August of this year, Draw was diagnosed with decreased kidney function and therefore moved to an off-exhibit enclosure.
Sadly, his condition began to worsen recently, and on October 15 he was hospitalized at the zoo’s clinic, where he was diagnosed, among other things, with chylothorax* and kidney disease. Despite the treatment provided by veterinarians, Draw passed away on the morning of October 30.
We send our deepest condolences to all manulovers, to Ueno Zoo, and to everyone who cared for Draw throughout these 15 years.
* Chylothorax is a condition in which lymphatic fluid containing fat accumulates in the chest cavity, making it difficult to breathe.
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Грустные новости из зоопарка — 30 октября 2025 года не стало манула Долоо.
Долоо было 15 лет, и по манульим меркам он был очень пожилым манулом.
В августе этого года у Долоо обнаружили ослабление функции почек, и поэтому он переехал в вольер, недоступный для посетителей.
Увы, но недавно его состояние стало ухудшаться, и 15 октября он был госпитализирован в клинику зоопарка, где у него диагностировали, среди прочего, хилоторакс и болезнь почек. Несмотря на лечение, проводимое ветеринарами, утром 30 октября Долоо не стало.
Мы приносим наши глубочайшие соболезнования всем мануломанам, зоопарку Уэно и всем, кто заботился о Долоо все эти 15 лет.
https://www.tokyo-zoo.net/topic/topics_detail?kind=news&inst=ueno&link_num=29391
* Хилоторакс — это состояние, при котором лимфатическая жидкость, содержащая жир, накапливается в грудной полости, затрудняя дыхание.
15! What an incredible manul life!! ![]()
Hi. According to some manul lovers in Japan, They started to exhibit Klyon on November 26
(It’s strange that the zoo made no official announcement)
In Manulization website, yuya ★ posted some photos ![]()
Thank you so much, Maeko!
This is absolutely wonderful, amazing news!!! We really want to see him! Thank you for the photo! He looks so much like his father, the manul Karaganda ![]()




