The , also known as the Fukuoka City Zoological Garden, is a

zoo A zoo (short for zoological garden; also called an animal park or menagerie) is a facility in which animals are kept within enclosures for public exhibition and often bred for Conservation biology, conservation purposes. The term ''zoological g ...

and

botanical garden A botanical garden or botanic gardenThe terms ''botanic'' and ''botanical'' and ''garden'' or ''gardens'' are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word ''botanic'' is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens, an ...

established in 1953 and located within Minami-koen (''En'': "South park") at 1-1, Minami-Koen, Chūō-ku,

Fukuoka, Fukuoka is the sixth-largest city in Japan, the second-largest port city after Yokohama, and the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. The city is built along the shores of Hakata Bay, and has been a center of international commerce since ancie ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

. The garden contains about 1,300 types of outdoor garden plants, mostly common. Its greenhouse contains over 1,200 plant species including

orchid Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant. Along with the Asteraceae, they are one of the two largest families of flowering ...

fern A fern (Polypodiopsida or Polypodiophyta ) is a member of a group of vascular plants (plants with xylem and phloem) that reproduce via spores and have neither seeds nor flowers. The polypodiophytes include all living pteridophytes except t ...

s, and

cacti A cactus (, or less commonly, cactus) is a member of the plant family Cactaceae, a family comprising about 127 genera with some 1750 known species of the order Caryophyllales. The word ''cactus'' derives, through Latin, from the Ancient Greek ...

History

The gardens were originally established near the city's East park in 1933 as part of the celebration of the coronation of Emperor

Hirohito Emperor , commonly known in English-speaking countries by his personal name , was the 124th emperor of Japan, ruling from 25 December 1926 until his death in 1989. Hirohito and his wife, Empress Kōjun, had two sons and five daughters; he was ...

. This small zoo and botanical garden included about 500 animals and 100 species of plants. The zoo was closed to the public on 20 May 1944 due to the deteriorating state of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

for the country. Large animals were subsequently euthanized. Pillars from the old zoo gate are still standing near one of the elementary schools in the city. In 1949 the city approved the establishment of a zoo in the city's South park. The Fukuoka City Zoological Society was established in 1952, and 28 million was raised for the new zoo. The zoo opened in its current location on 22 August 1953, with 143 animals representing 69 species. It included a play area with a miniature train and a Ferris wheel. When it opened, the zoo was home to one elephant, who was still living at the zoo in 2011. In 1954 the zoo was expanded to the North by about , and the animal collection expanded to include 353 individuals representing 110 species. In 1955 the zoo was transferred to the jurisdiction of the Jurisdiction of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Tourism Division, Fukuoka. An additional was added to the zoo in 1956, and the animal collection again expanded to include 400 individuals of 120 species. By 2003 (the fiftieth anniversary of opening in its current location), the zoo had hosted more than 40 million visitors, and was home to 706 animals representing 168 species, including 57 species of mammals, 88 species of birds, and 23 species of reptiles.

Notes

External links

* (Japanese) {{DEFAULTSORT:Fukuoka Municipal Zoo And Botanical Garden Botanical gardens in Japan Zoos in Japan Gardens in Fukuoka Prefecture Buildings and structures in Fukuoka Tourist attractions in Fukuoka Zoos established in 1953 1953 establishments in Japan

History

See also

Notes

External links