The cute critters of Kemono Friends teach us a lot about the natural world around us—and now, they're helping a wildlife reserve rebuild and reopen. But it's going to need your help!

Hagachizaki-en, a wildlife reserve home to 300 Japanese macaques, closed its doors last year due to financial difficulties resulting from low visitor turnout. The park was established in 1957, and saw some 460,000 visitors per year at the height of its popularity. In the time since its closure in September 2019, the park has continued to feed the macaques to prevent them from feeding on crops from nearby farms.

After exploring the idea of getting funding from other businesses, the reserve opted to turn to crowdfunding. With the help of donations via Japanese crowdfunding site CAMPFIRE, they plan to reopen under the name Hagachizaki Monkey Bay. They aim to raise 10 million yen in the next two months to make the change happen.

Kemono Friends creator Mine Yoshizaki is on board for the campaign, having created a new macaque Friend as a poster girl:

The new Friend will feature on some of the campaign's rewards, including clear files, jackets, buttons, and annual passes to the park:

Kemono Friends' new penguin idol duo Tik☆Tam (Ikuko Chikuta and Kyouka Tamura as Humboldt Penguin and Gentoo Penguin) are also getting in on the act. Further rewards include Tik☆Tam merch, CDs, and DVDs:









At the time of this writing, the campaign has raised just under 4 million yen toward its goal. 56 days remain to make the renovation happen.

>> Hagachizaki Monkey Bay Crowdfunding Campaign





Source: Mainichi, Comic Natalie