A diary written by the animal care staff! The growth diary of the sea lion "Chinowa" Part 2: Exhibition debut and 1st birthday

Chinowa, a South American fur seal born on June 30, 2025, recently celebrated her first birthday.
This time, animal care staff Onoji will bring you a report on the cub's practice eating fish, its debut in the exhibit area, and its first birthday celebration!

★You can read the first part here.★

■Practicing eating fish with rice

Chinowa, who had been drinking milk since birth, began practicing eating fish in January 2026. For Chinowa, who had never eaten solid food before, swallowing fish is a big challenge.

In addition to the fish that adult sea lions eat, such as smelt and herring, we searched for Chinowa's favorite food among various other foods like shrimp and squid. We tried various methods, such as putting milk on the fish and making it move by attaching a string, but Chinowa was reluctant to eat.

I was starting to feel a little anxious about Chinowa's behavior. However, in February, she started eating only the tails of horse mackerel! At first, it seemed like she was playing with them as toys and accidentally swallowed them, but as we tried various other fish, we realized that Chinowa liked to chew on the tails of horse mackerel.

Sometimes, when the animal care staff were watching us, Chinowa would get distracted and stop eating, so we secretly observed her where she couldn't see us.
As Chinowa got used to eating fish, she started to develop likes and dislikes. She loves herring and tries to eat it as soon as the animal care staff shows it to her, but she doesn't seem to like capelin. Sometimes, even when shown capelin, she would turn away and refuse to eat it.

Also, since she liked tails, it was difficult to get her to eat the fish heads. Even when I gradually increased the size of the pieces, she wouldn't eat them if the head was still there. I tried various methods, such as sticking the tail part onto a fillet of the head, hoping that Chinowa would eat the fish head while having fun playing with it.

As she gradually became able to eat more, we increased the variety of fish she ate. After horse mackerel, we moved on to capelin and herring, and as we continued to introduce them, her favorite part, the tail of the horse mackerel, steadily dropped in the rankings, and her food preferences gradually became clearer.

■The area where they go for walks has expanded! They'll even appear in front of customers!

As part of helping the seals adjust to their new environment, we had been practicing taking them for walks in the backyard. From January 2026, we partially closed off the "seal" area and conducted the practice sessions in front of our visitors.
When it first appeared, it was sitting on the lap of a animal care staff, looking around curiously as if observing its new environment.

As we took him for walks more often, he started practicing on the stairs. He became adept at climbing the stairs, but going down seemed to be difficult for him. He would go up but couldn't get down on his own, and the animal care staff would often have to go and get him. Nevertheless, with daily practice, he became able to go up and down the stairs, and his range of movement expanded.
Even though she was scared of the unfamiliar environment, she would follow us and gradually get used to the new surroundings. When she seemed anxious, she especially wanted to sit on our laps, so perhaps she relied on us.

Our walks have been going smoothly, and we've gradually expanded our walking range, meeting other sea lions and even venturing into the "seal" area. Our debut in the "sea lion" area is just around the corner!

■Finally making its debut in the "seal" area!

On Friday, May 22, 2026, Chinowa, who had spent her time in the back area since birth, finally made her debut in the "Sea Lion" area!
Leading up to this day, we practiced taking walks and practicing eating fish, and many customers cheered us on as we went along.

Since it was before the museum opened, I finally made my debut under the watchful eyes of many staff members.

I was in charge of guiding Chinowa. While guiding her, I was focused on making sure she could safely reach the exhibit area, and I wasn't thinking about much else. I was glad that she was able to make her debut in the exhibit area without any problems, and that all the practice we had done paid off.

For the first few days after her debut, Chinowa would sometimes try to follow us when we left the exhibit area, and she looked quite anxious. But now she's completely integrated into the adult group. There are times when she bothers them too much and gets scolded, but she'll learn how to live in a group from now on.

■ Chinowa's birthday event will be held on June 30, 2026!

We held a birthday event on my actual birthday.
Many guests gathered at the venue to celebrate Chinowa's first birthday. First, her mother, Vicky, appeared. Then, Chinowa made her appearance.
Chinowa, who weighed 4.5 kg at birth, has grown to about 15 kg in just one year. At the event, the animal care staff shared stories about her growth over the past year, and everyone, including the animal care staff and visitors, celebrated together.

Then, she also tried her hand at "Chino-wa Kuguri," the ritual that gave Chinowa her name. At the end of the event, she showed everyone the bow she had been practicing, and the birthday event came to a close.

■Summary

Chinowa has finally celebrated her first birthday. Thank you to everyone who has watched over and supported Chinowa's growth up until now.

Looking back, we, the animal care staff, spent a very intense year, constantly experimenting and learning as we raised our first ever fur seal by hand. It took a little while before she could make her debut in the exhibit area, but we feel that our visitors were able to support Chinowa's growth, from watching her go for walks to practicing eating. Above all, we are proud of how Chinowa has grown and overcome so many challenges.

Currently, Chinowa is spending time with other sea lions in the "Sea Lion" area. Please join us in watching how Chinowa grows through her interactions with the older sea lions.