Tennōji Zoo

Tennoji Zoo
天王寺動物園
Savannah Zone
Interactive map of Tennoji Zoo
天王寺動物園
34°39′09″N 135°30′31″E / 34.652556°N 135.508496°E / 34.652556; 135.508496
Date openedJanuary 1, 1915
LocationTennoji Park, 1-108, Chausuyama-cho, Tennōji-ku, Osaka, Japan
No. of species230 (as of 2008)
Public transitJR West:
Osaka Loop Line Yamatoji Line Hanwa Line at Tennōji
Osaka Metro:
at Dōbutsuen-mae
at Ebisuchō
Websitewww.tennojizoo.jp (in Japanese)

Tennōji Zoo (天王寺動物園) is a 11-hectare (27-acre) zoo located at Tennōji Park in Tennōji-ku, Osaka, Japan, opened on January 1, 1915. It is the third zoo to be built in Japan and is located southwest of the Shitennō-ji temple, the first Buddhist temple in Japan.

History

In the late 1920s, Tennōji Zoo acquired a chimapanzee, Torō, who died of pneumonia after only a month at the zoo. In response, they sent animal collector Isamu Kagawa to Africa to get a replacement, called Rita. Rita and her mate, Lloyd, became very popular at the zoo and across Japan.[1][2][3]

Attractions and Animals

African Savanna Zone

African Savanna

The habitat features expansive habitats for African animals. These habitats are arranged so that predators like lions and hyenas appear to be sharing the same space with their prey.[4]

IFAR Reptile House
Other animals

Elephant Village and Friendship Garden

Asian elephant (2016)
Elephant Village

Former name was Asian Tropical Rainforest Zone. Themed after a Southeast Asian rainforest, this zone formerly housed Asian elephants, the last of which, a female named Hiroko died in 2018.[5] The Tennōji Zoo expanded the Asian elephant habitat, and introduced three elephants from Malaysia[6]. Reopened elephant exhibit on April 21st,2026, Asian Tropical Rainforest Zone is renamed as "Elephant Village"[7].

Friendship Garden

Established in April 2022, visitors are allowed to interact with domestic animals.[8][9]

Nocturnal House

The zoo is the only zoo in Japan to house kiwis.[10] In 2024, concerns were raised over the suitability of the kiwi enclosure.[11]

Southern Hemisphere House[12]
Chimpanzee Base

Opened in spring 2025[13]

Monkey and Baboon House

World of Birds and Surrounding Area

Crane House
World of Birds

Opened on November 21, 2023.[14]

Other

Marine Animal Zone and Surrounding Area

Waterfall in the Tennōji Zoo Aviary
Marine Animal Zone

Marine Animal Zone consists of 2 exhibits, "Penguin Park & Sea Lion Wharf" and "Polar bear Coast". Penguin and sealion exhibit opened on April 26, 2023[15], and brand new polar bear exhibit opened on August 4th, 2026.[16]

Flight Aviary

Home to free-flying waterbirds, the aviary has springs, dams, streams and forest, recreating a natural environment.[17]

Bear House

References

  1. ↑ Itoh, Mayumi (2010), Japanese Wartime Zoo Policy: The Silent Victims of World War II, New York: Palgrave Macmillan US, pp. 58–61, doi:10.1057/9780230117440_9, ISBN 978-1-349-29183-0, OCLC 615338421, retrieved 2025-02-22
  2. ↑ "チンパンジー飼育の歴史が国内で最も長い天王寺動物園 戦前には歯磨きやたばこの芸も 園長は獣医さん". Sankei Shimbun (in Japanese). 2025-02-22. Retrieved 2025-03-20.
  3. ↑ Kisling, Vernon N., ed. (July 11, 2022). Zoo and Aquarium History: Ancient Animal Collections to Conservation Centers (2nd ed.). CRC Press. pp. 335–336. ISBN 978-1-000-58533-9. OCLC 1346427963.
  4. ↑ "Tennoji Zoo "Zoo21 Project"". www.city.osaka.lg.jp.
  5. ↑ "Hiroko at Osaka Tennoji Zoo in Japan - Elephant Encyclopedia and Database". www.elephant.se.
  6. ↑ "天王寺動物園にマレーシアからマレーシアゾウがやってきました" [Tennoji Zoo welcomes elephants from Malaysia] (in Japanese). 12 March 2026.
  7. ↑ "天王寺動物園で8年ぶりゾウ公開　国内最大規模のゾウ舎も" [It's been 8 years since last elephant exhibited in Tennoji Zoo, with largest elephant house in Japan.] (in Japanese). 12 March 2026.
  8. ↑ "ふれあい広場からおしらせ". 28 March 2022.
  9. ↑ "新施設「ふれんどしっぷガーデン」がオープンします" [New facility "Friendship Garden" opens] (in Japanese). 14 April 2022.
  10. ↑ "Asian Tropical Rainforest Zone and Surrounding Area". Osaka Tennoji Zoo.
  11. ↑ Wilton, Perry (20 January 2024). "Kiwi filmed in 'bright and tiny' enclosure at Japanese zoo". Newshub. Archived from the original on January 20, 2024.
  12. ↑ "「南半球館」へようこそ！" [Welcome to "Southern Hemisphere House" !] (in Japanese).
  13. ↑ https://www.tennojizoo.jp/information/32025/
  14. ↑ "新施設「鳥のセカイ」がオープンします" [New facility "Bird World" opens] (PDF) (in Japanese).
  15. ↑ "新施設「ペンギンパーク＆アシカワーフ」がオープンします" [New facility "Penguin Park & Sea Lion Wharf" opens] (in Japanese). 10 April 2023.
  16. ↑ "ホッキョクグマ新施設「ポーラーベアコースト」がオープンします" [New facility "Polar Bear Coast" opens] (in Japanese). 4 August 2026.
  17. ↑ "Aviary Zone and Surrounding Area". Osaka Tennoji Zoo.

Access

  • Wikimedia Commons logo Media related to Tennoji Zoo at Wikimedia Commons
  • Osaka Municipal Recreation and Tourism Bureau(in English)
  • Official site(in Japanese)
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