北きつね牧場
this is one place i really wanna visit in Hokkaido this winter - 北きつね牧場 (Kita Kitsume Farm), a famous fox farm where we can see cute, furry domesticated snow foxes! yippee! i bet beary white n tuckie will be thrilled!
The Hokkaido fox carries the Echinococcus parasite, which can be fatal in humans. Because this parasite can be spread through water, do not drink any unboiled river or lake water in Hokkaido. Approaching or feeding foxes is also not recommended.
shucks… so i searched for more information on e Echinococcus parasite, a tapeworm parasite. once infected, e eggs of e tapeworm can get lodged onto e lungs/livers/kidneys for yrs without any symptoms till cysts grow n rupture. wah kao. that sounds gross! i even saw a grotesque picture of one such kidney which was removed, but decided not to post it here lest it scares ppl off.
conclusion: the parasite only affects humans when the eggs of e tapeworm r ingested. so it shld be ok havin some contact wif them at e farm for a short while.. loads of ppl have gone to such farms, mostly those on a tour grp since it can be quite inaccessible if travelling there on ur own.
