Many of the precious northern wildlife and flora in Hokkaido are endangered due to the widespread loss of riverine forest caused by development, reckless hunting, and smuggling of the protected alpine flora. On this occasion, we would like to present a snow sculpture themed ‘the animal family’ in line with the keyword of STV’s 50th anniversary, ‘environment’. It is our hope that STV Square is a place where we can reflect about the environment.

Here in a quiet forest of the north:

We can hear a hoot of Blakiston's Fish Owl protecting the young ones.
Stellers' Sea-eagle preyed on a fish for breakfast, and he is now feeding the chicks. You can see the little chicks adoring their brave father.
A clear stream flows through the forest. Suddenly, Sakhalin Taimen has emerged from the surface with a splash. He swims calmly along the water’s edge with his mates.
The forest appears to be peaceful as usual, but in fact it has changed considerably during the 20th century.  Today, changes in the environment, caused by urbanization are having an alarming effect on the wildlife of the north. The populations of numerous kinds of animals living in the forest have fallen sharply.
Big old trees that house Blakiston's Fish Owls are dwindling. Additionally, a number of Blakiston’s Fish Owls have been accidentally killed by the electric cables is rising.
Because of the soil-erosion control works, the number of rivers in which salmons cannot return is increasing. Subsequently, the population of Stellers' Sea-eagles whose main diet is salmon is decreasing.
More and more rivers and lakes are contaminated and the Sakhalin Taimen has become a ‘rare fish’ as a result.