Tama

Tama
Tama inside her office in July 2011
Alias	たま
Sex	Female
Nation from	Japan
Born	April 29, 1999 Kinokawa, Wakayama Prefecture, Japan
Adopted	c. 2004
Died	22 June 2015 (aged 16)
Cause of death	Heart failure
Resting place	Kishi Station, Kinokawa, Wakayama Prefecture, Japan
Occupation	Station master
Owner	Toshiko Koyama
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Tama (Japanese: たま, April 29, 1999 – June 22, 2015) was a female calico cat train master and operating officer at Kishi Station on the Kishigawa Line in Kinokawa, Wakayama Prefecture, Japan, whose fame gained over 1 billion yen (6,3 million USD) and saved the company from bankruptcy.

Early life

In 2004, when the railway company faced financial difficulties primarily due to declining ridership and revenue. A stray cat, Tama, was adopted by Toshiko Koyama, a station manager in Kishigawa Line. In 2006, the Wakayama Electric Railway Company destaffed all stations on the Kishigawa Line to save money. They also removed stray cats from the stations to make room for new roads.

Career

On 5 January 2007, Tama was promoted to station master, instead of being paid salary, Tama was provided with lifetime food, and a gold name tag, which was stolen by a visitor on 10 October 2007, but a replica was quickly made to replace it. On 5 January 2008, Tama received a promotion to the position of "super station master" during a ceremony attended by the company president, local mayor, and about 300 spectators. In early 2009, the railway company introduced a custom made train, "Tama train" (たま電車, Tama densha) on the line which was customized with cartoon depictions of Tama. In January 2010, railway officials honored Tama for her role in attracting more customers by promoting her to the position of "Operating Officer." Tama continued her duties as station master, making her the first cat to hold an executive position in a railroad corporation. Tama's fourth year as stationmaster was commemorated on January 6, 2011, with a ceremony marking her promotion to "Managing Executive Officer," making her the third-ranking member of management after the company president and the managing director. In 2013, Tama work shift has been reduced due to her increasing old age and can be only seen in the station office.

Death

Tama passed away on 22 June 2015, at the age of 16, on the animal hospital in Wakayama Prefecture. Tama is still grand rail master with posters and animated stickers on trains and people visiting

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Gallery

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  Tama densha train

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  Nitama (left) and Tama (right)