Hakuba’s wildlife
If
you
go
to
Hakuba
for
skiing
it
is
possible
to
see
wildlife
from
the
lifts
at
the
ski
resorts.
You
just
need
to
keep
your
eyes
open.
Here are some of the animals you might see:
•
Japanese
snow
monkey
or
macaque
which
can
be
seen
every
now
and
then
in
Hakuba.
You
can
add
on
a
tour
to
your
skiing
holiday
if
you
want
to
see
them
bathing
themselves in the hot springs.
•
Japanese
serow
(an
antelope-goat
type
animal
of
large
size
with
a
weight
to130
kg).
They
feed
on
acorns,
the
buds
of
new
leaves
and
any
whole
leafs
still
hanging
on
the trees.
•
Red
Fox
which
is
native
to
Japan
and
can
be
seen
occasionally
in
Hakuba.
SkiHakuba
staff
saw
it
cross
a
very
steep
slope
high
above
Happo
ski
resort
(and
therefore
way
above
the
tree-line)
with
great
ease
in
the
middle of winter.
•
Japanese
hare
which
is
only
found
in
Japan.
It
changes
colour
from
brown
to
white
in
winter
and
you
can
identify
it by the black tips on it's ears.
•
Japanese
Racoon
dog
which
is
actually
distantly
related
to
the
dog,
and
is
not
in
actual
fact
a
racoon
at
all.
It
eats
leaves,
bulbs,
fruit,
insects
and
rodents.
Pretty
much
anything actually.
•
Asiatic
black
bear
has
been
seen
very
often
lately
in
Hakuba
village
in
the
summer
seasons.
So
often
actually
that
they
have
loudspeakers
village
wide
to
warn
people
in
BOTH
Japanese
and
English
when
they
are
seen.
As
it
hibernates
throughout
from
November
to
March
you
are
unlikely
to
see
it
unless
you
are
in
Hakuba
for
spring
skiing
(April
and
early
May)
and
even
then
you
would
have
to
be
very
lucky
to
see
one,
but
if
you
do
you
should keep well away.
Tracks in the snow
When
you
are
on
that
lift
keep
your
eyes
open
for
animal
footprints.
They
are
especially
prevalent
anywhere
there
are
a
lot
of
trees,
but
sometimes
you
will
see
them
directly
under
the
lift.
If
you
follow
them
with
your
eyes
and
see
what’s
at
the
end
you
might
be
surprised.
The
pictures
below
will
help
you
identify which animal they belong to.
Specialists in Hakuba Ski Holidays
©2013 SkiHakuba G.K. (Godo Kaisha company), Hakuba Mura, Japan.
Fox
Monkey
Japanese serow
Japanese hare