Our youth was consumed by war.
And we learned firsthand that, regardless of the outcome, war is the worst atrocity and tragedy in the history of mankind.
We must not send our children, our fellow countrymen, to that dreadful battlefield.
From “The Story of Irretrievable Youth” by Masahisa Naruoka
I am a fierce leopard.
My name is Hachi.
I was born in the mountains of Hubei Province, China in 1941 during World War II, and was rescued and raised by Mr. Masahisa Naruoka and the other soldiers of the Whale Unit from Kochi.
Later, I was taken in by the Ueno Zoo in Tokyo and became popular with the visitors…
But when the war expanded into the Pacific, I was poisoned in preparation for air raids.
I was then taxidermized and returned to Mr. Naruoka after the war.
Now, I call the Otepia Kochi MIRAI Science Center my home.
