Music label Epic Records Japan Inc. on Wednesday released a CD in which American singer Cyndi Lauper and a Japanese journalist recite a well-known story from the book "Faithful Elephants" about zookeepers who had to kill zoo animals during the war.
Zookeepers in Ueno Zoo, Tokyo, were ordered to kill the animals to prevent them from escaping in the event their cages were destroyed by U.S. bombings. The story, which was first published in 1945, features the struggles and hardships the zookeepers experienced and sends the message that war has tragic consequences even for animals.
Lauper, 55, narrates the story in the CD in English and Chieko Akiyama, 91, a journalist, reads it in Japanese.