TBS has revealed that its long-running documentary/variety show "Doubutsu Kisou Tengai!" will be coming to a close in March 2009. The animal-themed show has been hosted by Minomonta since it began in 1993, but TBS decided to axe it due to a decline in ratings this year.

The show reached the height of its popularity in September 2001 when it achieved 19.6% viewership ratings. In 2004, the show moved from Saturday nights to Sunday nights, putting it in competition with NHK's highly-rated taiga dramas, but it still managed to maintain ratings over 10%. However, ratings have been falling for a couple of years, and ever since the start of this year, ratings have dipped into the single digits.

This is just the latest in a string of lineup changes announced by TBS for next spring. It has not yet been determined what will fill the vacant Sunday 8:00pm time slot, though some say that the network is considering moving one of its more popular shows to that time.