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 Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

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.

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. * Common dwarf mongoose *

Common eland The common eland (''Taurotragus oryx''), also known as the southern eland or eland antelope, is a large savannah and plains antelope found in East Africa, East and Southern Africa. An adult male is around tall at the shoulder and can weigh up ...

* Eastern black rhinoceros * Egyptian goose * Grant's zebra *

Hippopotamus The hippopotamus (''Hippopotamus amphibius;'' ; : hippopotamuses), often shortened to hippo (: hippos), further qualified as the common hippopotamus, Nile hippopotamus and river hippopotamus, is a large semiaquatic mammal native to sub-Sahar ...

* Lesser flamingo *

Lion The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large Felidae, cat of the genus ''Panthera'', native to Sub-Saharan Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body (biology), body; a short, rounded head; round ears; and a dark, hairy tuft at the ...

* Marabou stork *

Nile tilapia The Nile tilapia (''Oreochromis niloticus'') is a species of tilapia, a cichlid occurring naturally in parts of Africa (such as its namesake Nile River) and the Levant, though numerous introduced populations exist outside its natural range. T ...

Reticulated giraffe The reticulated giraffe (''Giraffa reticulata'' or ''Giraffa camelopardalis reticulata'') is a species/subspecies of giraffe native to the Horn of Africa. It is differentiated from other types of giraffe by its coat, which consists of large, p ...

* Rock hyrax * Spotted hyena ;IFAR Reptile House * American alligator * Burmese python * Chinese alligator * Gila monster * Japanese giant salamander * Alligator snapping turtle * Asian water monitor * Nile monitor * Radiated tortoise * Japanese pond turtle ;Other animals * Andean condor * Amur tiger * Jaguar * Japanese golden eagle * Mongolian wolf * Red panda * Japanese red fox

Asian Tropical Rainforest Zone and Friendship Garden

Themed after a Southeast Asian rainforest, this zone formerly housed

Asian elephant The Asian elephant (''Elephas maximus''), also known as the Asiatic elephant, is the only living ''Elephas'' species. It is the largest living land animal in Asia and the second largest living Elephantidae, elephantid in the world. It is char ...

s, the last of which, a female named Hiroko passed away in 2018. The Tennōji Zoo is planning to replace Hiroko's habitat with greater one-horned rhinos. ;Friendship Garden Established in April 2022, visitors are allowed to interact with domestic animals. * Goat *

Guinea pig The guinea pig or domestic guinea pig (''Cavia porcellus''), also known as the cavy or domestic cavy ( ), is a species of rodent belonging to the genus ''Cavia'', family Caviidae. Animal fancy, Breeders tend to use the name "cavy" for the ani ...

* Noma horse * Sheep ;Nocturnal House The zoo is the only zoo in Japan to house kiwis. In 2024, concerns were raised over the suitability of the kiwi enclosure. * Egyptian fruit bat * Japanese raccoon dog * North Island brown kiwi ;Southern Hemisphere House *

Emu The emu (; ''Dromaius novaehollandiae'') is a species of flightless bird endemism, endemic to Australia, where it is the Tallest extant birds, tallest native bird. It is the only extant taxon, extant member of the genus ''Dromaius'' and the ...

* Aldabra giant tortoise * Patagonian mara ;Chimpanzee Base Expected to open in spring 2025 *

Chimpanzee The chimpanzee (; ''Pan troglodytes''), also simply known as the chimp, is a species of Hominidae, great ape native to the forests and savannahs of tropical Africa. It has four confirmed subspecies and a fifth proposed one. When its close rel ...

;Monkey and Baboon House *

Black-and-white ruffed lemur The black-and-white ruffed lemur (''Varecia variegata'') is an endangered species of ruffed lemur, ruffed lemur, one of two which are endemic to the island of Madagascar. Despite having a larger range than the red ruffed lemur, it has a much sma ...

* De Brazza's monkey * Drill * François' langur * Grivet * Lion-tailed macaque * Siamang * Tufted capuchin ;Other animals * Sika deer

World of Birds and Surrounding Area

;Crane House * Demoiselle crane * Grey crowned crane * Hooded crane *

Red-crowned crane The red-crowned crane (''Grus japonensis''), also called the Manchurian crane (; the Chinese character '丹' means 'red', '頂/顶' means 'crown (anatomy), crown' and '鶴/鹤' means 'crane'), is a large East Asian Crane (bird), crane among the ...

;World of Birds Opened on November 21, 2023. * Edwards's pheasant * Pink and grey cockatoo * Helmeted guineafowl *

Guineafowl Guinea fowl () (or guineahen) are birds of the family Numididae in the order Galliformes. They are endemic to Africa and rank among the oldest of the gallinaceous birds. Phylogenetically, they branched off from the core Galliformes after the C ...

* Laughing kookaburra * Satyr tragopan * Temminck's tragopan * Green pheasant * Palawan peacock-pheasant * Snowy owl * Mallard *

Mandarin duck The mandarin duck (''Aix galericulata'') is a perching duck species native to the East Palearctic. It is Sexual dimorphism, sexually dimorphic – the males are elaborately coloured, while the females have more subdued colours. It is a medium- ...

* Eastern spot-billed duck * Japanese night heron ;Other * American flamingo * Chilean flamingo * Oriental stork * White cockatoo

Aviary Zone and Surrounding Area

;Flight Aviary Home to free-flying waterbirds, the aviary has springs, dams, streams and forest, recreating a natural environment. * Eastern spot-billed duck * Little egret * Mallard *

* White stork ;Penguin Park & Sea Lion Wharf Opened on April 26, 2023. *

California sea lion The California sea lion (''Zalophus californianus'') is a coastal eared seal native to western North America. It is one of six species of sea lions. Its natural habitat ranges from southeast Alaska to central Mexico, including the Gulf of Califo ...

* Humboldt penguin ;Bear House *

Polar bear The polar bear (''Ursus maritimus'') is a large bear native to the Arctic and nearby areas. It is closely related to the brown bear, and the two species can Hybrid (biology), interbreed. The polar bear is the largest extant species of bear ...

* Spectacled bear *

Sun bear The sun bear (''Helarctos malayanus'') is a bear species in the Family (biology), family Ursidae found in the tropical forests of Southeast Asia. It is the only species in the genus ''Helarctos'' and the smallest bear species, standing nearly ...

References

Access

* Osaka Municipal Subway Midosuji Line: Dobutsuen-mae Station *Osaka Municipal Subway Sakaisuji Line: Ebisucho Station *

JR West , also referred to as , is one of the Japan Railways Group (JR Group) companies and operates in western Honshu. It has its headquarters in Kita-ku, Osaka. It is listed in the Tokyo Stock Exchange, is a constituent of the TOPIX Large70 index, ...

, Osaka Municipal Subway: Tennoji Station *JR West, Nankai Railway: Shin-Imamiya Station * Hankai Tramway Hankai Line: Minami-Kasumicho Station * Kintetsu Minami Osaka Line: Osaka Abenobashi Station *Osaka City Bus: Dobutsuen-mae, Tennoji-koen-mae ( Shinsekai Gate), Abenobashi (Tennoji Gate)

External links

*
Osaka Municipal Recreation and Tourism BureauOfficial site
1915 establishments in Japan Tourist attractions in Osaka Zoos in Japan Buildings and structures in Osaka Educational organizations established in 1915 Zoos established in the 1910s Tennōji-ku, Osaka {{osaka-geo-stub