Kumamoto
City Zoological and Botannical Gardens, owned and operated by Kumamoto City, is
laid out on about 24.5 hectares of mostly level terrain. Since there were few structures more than
one-story tall, the zoo had an open and spacious feel to it, contrasting the size
of some of the larger mammal enclosures, which were actually rather small. There
were also impressive water features on the property that enhanced the
impression of wide-open spaces.
According
to information on the internet, the zoo houses about 1000 individual animals of
about 120 species. The zoo was damaged in a severe earthquake that hit Kumamoto
Prefecture in 2016, and some animals were temporarily moved to other zoos while
repairs to their facilities could be completed. In December 2018, all parts of the zoo were finally
reopened.
On the day of my visit, it
rained steadily throughout the morning.
I was in the zoo for about 3 hours, and much of the time I had to hold
my umbrella with one hand while operating my camera with the other hand.
I
will discuss the zoo in generally the order that I saw it.
Bears
The first animals I met after
entering the zoo were the bears. In
addition to being rather small in relation to the size of the bears, the bear enclosures
were of the old-fashioned “cages and concrete” style. The thick bars of the cages hindered viewing
the animals, and they also made photography quite impossible. The below photo is the enclosure for the Malaysian
sun bear.
The
bear is sitting in the upper right side corner of the enclosure.
The
next photo is the enclosure for the Hokkaido
Brown Bear.
Hard
to view the animal and impossible to get a nice photograph.
Big Cats
It was my understanding that
this complex was damaged during the 2016 earthquake. Looking at the structure and the paved
walking area in front of the enclosure, many elements did indeed appear to have
been recently repaired or installed. It
was my impression that, similar to the bear enclosures, the amount of space
allotted to each big cat was perhaps too small.
Looking
at the tiger through a glass window.
Splattered drops of rain, and a small amount of fogging on the glass
made viewing and photographing the tiger a challenge.
This
enclosure was probably about 9 or 10 meters from left to right, and
probably about 7 or 8 meters from front to back. When the tiger paced, he seemed to cover the width
of the enclosure in only a few steps.
Lion
enclosure
Again,
hindered by foggy glass.
Snow
leopard
Large African Animals
The below photo shows the
zebra enclosure.
The
zebra stood next to the door to its indoor quarters, trying to escape from the
rain.
Rhinoceros
enclosure
Like
the zebra, the rhinoceros tried to enter cover.
Chimpanzee
island
The
chimpanzees had to ride out the rain as best as they could.
Monkeys
This area housed many small
monkeys.
Mandrill
enclosure
Because
of the rain, the Mandrill was inside.
Ruffed
lemur enclosure
The
area for the Golden snub-nosed monkey, a very rare and valuable species, was
quite large compared to the size of the monkey and compared to the areas for
the other monkeys.
I
guess when you are a very rare creature, you get a little better treatment.
Japanese Animals
Although this area was rather
simple and the enclosures weren’t that big, I rather liked this area because of
the way it assembled animals found in Japan.
Tanuki
(Raccoon dog)
The
cage bars again get in the way of a nice photograph.
There
was also a red fox.
Enclosure
for Eurasian Magpie and Green Pheasant.
Enclosure
for Red-crowned crane
Cute
signs
Penguins
I
thought this was the best exhibit area in this zoo. The low height of the barriers and the use of
glass panels made the penguins easy to see (and photograph).
The
penguins could be seen engaging in nesting behaviours.
There
were multiple viewing areas and different angles from which the penguins could
be viewed by a large number of people at the same time.
There
were information panels posted on the wall to educate visitors about penguin
habits and characteristics.
Swimming
penguins looked like they were flying.
Capybaras
This exhibit was next to the
penguins. Similar to the penguin area,
the design of this exhibit seemed more modern as it allowed more relative space
for the animals and provided good lines of sight for visitors to view the
animals.
Japan Macaques
This
exhibit was adjacent to the Capybaras.
Like the previous two exhibit areas, it seemed to be interestingly
designed. Unfortunately, since it was
raining so much on the day of my visit, I did not have a chance to fully
appreciate the exhibit. The macaques
huddled under the shelter mirrored my feelings very accurately.
There
was one brave fellow who faced the elements head on.
Other Animal Enclosures
Birds
Kangaroos
Polar
Bear
Seal
Elephant
Giraffe
Deer
and other herbivores
In
these areas, the animals looked like fenced-in livestock. Again, hard to get a good view, impossible to
get a nice photograph.
Close Encounters
The
zoo brochure indicated that there were 3 scheduled times a day when zoo
visitors could interact with domesticated animals (goats, sheep, and guinea
pigs). Because it rained so much, and
because there were so few visitors in the zoo on this particular day, I did not
spend time looking for the animal encounter area.
Other attractions and
facilities
About
half of the land area of this park is dedicated to the animal zoo. The other half comprises the botanical
gardens and amusement park rides and attractions. They had rides such as a ferris wheel, a merry-go-round,
a monorail, and a children’s train. Most of rides cost 200 yen.
Monorail
station
Children’s
train
Food and Souvenirs
There
was one restaurant on the property that served Japanese-style fast food such as
curry, ramen, and chicken karaage. On
this wet and rainy day, I did not visit the restaurant.
There
was a very small souvenir shop near the entrance/exit. It had cookies, sweets, animal-themed goods,
and even a few cute zoo branded items such as keychains and hand towels.
Getting There
We
drove to this particular zoo, and there was ample free parking. According to the zoo brochure and internet
homepage, you can catch the “Shiden” municipal streetcar from downtown Kumamoto
City bound to “Kengun”. Getting off at the “Doushokubutsuen iriguchi” stop, it
is about a 10-minute walk from the stop to the zoo. The zoo is also accessible by bus. For information about the various bus routes,
please see the zoo’s English homepage.
Admission to the zoo was 300 yen for adults (high school students and
above), 100 yen for elementary school and intermediate school students, and free
for children not yet in school.
(Note:
All photos in this post were taken during a visit made on February 19, 2019. The comments in this post are based on
observations made at that time.
Conditions may have since changed.
Please check it out for yourself!)
