To all prospective visitors | 沖縄県世界自然遺産

Prevent “roadkill”!

In Iriomote Island...

Iriomote wildcat traffic accidents have been occurring at a record pace over the past few years.
Recent trends include accidents during the daytime and around settlements, as well as at dawn and dusk.
Spring and summer are the times of childbirth and rearing, and fall and winter when the born kittens are on their own. Accidents can occur all year round, at any time and place.

In Yanbar...

Many road kills occur early in the morning and evening for the Okinawa rail, and at night for the nocturnal Japanese grasshopper and Ryukyu leatherback turtles.
Particular attention should be paid to Prefectural Road No. 70 on the east coast side and Prefectural Road No. 2 that crosses Yanbaru east and west.

Roadkills (traffic accidents) occur when the location of roads used by people overlap with the locations where the creatures that live in Yanbaru forests live.
If it had been your family or pet that had been run over...
A little consideration for the other creatures that use the road will lead to the prevention of damage to creatures caused by roadkill and to the safety of drivers.
Nature Conservation Officer, Yambaru Nature Conservation Office, Ministry of the Environment, Japan

Don’t speed!Wild cats will suddenly run out into the road. Accidents can happen on any road on Iriomote Island, so let’s be careful when we drive so that we can even avoid hitting animals that jump out in front of the car.

Watch out during night and day!Most accidents involving wild cats happen after sunset and during night. But, we always need to be careful because collisions can also happen during the day, too.

Some animals come out to eat road kill, but, sadly, end up getting hit by a car!Frogs or other small animals might be hit by a car. This may lead to a secondary accident when a wild cat comes out onto the road looking for food. We need to be careful and watch out for turtles, frogs and other small creatures, too.

Watch out for other animals too!Besides wild cats, many other precious animals have been killed in traffic accidents such as the yellow-margined box turtle and even the crested serpent eagle. Let’s make sure that we drive in a way that doesn’t threaten the animals of Iriomote Island.

Let’s remember that we’re the guests on Iriomote Island

高速船は島の人の足 — Ferries are how Iriomote residents commute西表島を訪れる人が増え、石垣島とを結ぶ高速船に島の人が乗れずに困っています。朝夕の混雑時間帯の便をさけて頂けるとうれしいです。

車は住民や交通の邪魔にならない場所にとめる — Park your car where it will not interfere with residents or trafficThere are many private lots that are mistaken for general parking lots or land managed by the village or other communities. Check with residents when parking.

迷惑！ドローンを飛ばさない — Don’t fly drones! They’re annoying!There have been more and more incidents of people flying drones and frightening birds in areas where they nest. Some people have even flown them over local residents’ homes. This is very annoying to both people and the animals. Be sure to follow drone etiquette so that you don’t bother residents or wild animals.

集落内は水着で歩かない — Walking around in a bathing suit is a big no-noSome people walk around residential communities in just their bathing suit and even enter shops, while they’re still wet from the water. Please avoid such bad manners and treat Iriomote as if it were your own hometown.

林道や登山道、田畑、海岸に車を乗り入れない — Don’t drive onto forest roads, mountain trails, fields or beachesSome people drive their cars into fields to get a better view of the fireflies and end up trampling animals living there or in the forest. Sometimes, even sea turtle eggs have been crushed. When people build fires or camp in non-designated areas, this also hurts Iriomote nature. Let’s be careful to follow the rules and not disturb the natural environment.

人の家を覗かない！ — Don’t peek into other people’s homes!Even people who live in small communities enjoy their privacy. When you meet someone, be sure to say hello. It’s important to ask first if you’d like to see someone’s home.

御嶽（うたき）や墓に入らない — Don’t disturb sacred sites or tombsSacred sites, places of worship, tombs and other such areas are hallowed ground. These are places that people may enter only if they’ve been invited. Let’s not stare at people or take pictures when they’re praying.

祭りは決まりを守って見学 — Maintain etiquette when watching festivalsThere have been reports of some people barging in and disturbing religious rites just to take a photo. Let’s observe these customs without disturbing them and mind our manners.

Know before you go! Wildlife etiquette

Iriomote Island is home to many endangered plants and animals. Taking any of these away can have a significant impact on the ecosystem. Also, let’s not bring any pets or creatures (non-native species) to the island.
If they escape, these new animals will prey on Iriomote’s endangered plants and animals and threaten the ecosystem’s balance.

エサを与えない — Don’t feed wild animalsFeeding wild animals weakens their ability to survive in the wild and harms their health. If wild animals get used to people, then they are more likely to come out onto roads and into residential communities where there is a greater chance they will be hurt or killed in a traffic accident.

島の動植物は島のもの — Iriomote’s plants and animals belong to IriomoteIriomote’s plants and animals are the treasure of the people of Iriomote Island. Please do not collect or take home any of these precious riches.

行動を邪魔しない — Don’t disturb wild animalsPeople and vehicles are the greatest threat to wild animals. Chasing or disturbing wild animals makes them nervous, cautious, and inflicts great stress on them.

写真など強い光を与えない — Don’t shine bright lights or camera flashes at wild animalsNocturnal animals are very sensitive to light. Shining a bright light at them, such as from a camera flash or flashlight, makes them panic and hurts their eyes.

For the latest manners in Iriomote Island, click here.

Iriomote Island Ecotourism Council https://iriomote-ecotourism.jp/