Satsukiyama Zoo

Satsukiyama Zoo in Ikeda City, Osaka Prefecture, can best be described as a “small” and “cute” zoo.  First the “small”: the land area of the zoo covers only 0.3 hectares (3000 square meters).  You can walk the length of the zoo from end to end in less than 5 minutes.  Second, the “cute”: the zoo specializes in herbivorous animals that are adorable and popular among children.  They have wombats, wallabies, emus, sheep, goats, alpacas, pigs, rabbits, guinea pigs, turtles, chickens, a Patagonian cavy, and a raccoon.  Admission to Satsukiyama zoo is free.

The general design of the zoo features simple fences surrounding open areas of earth.  You can get rather close to the animals, but the fences are an obstruction when trying to take photographs.

From Tasmania With Love

Ikeda City, the owner of Satsukiyama, has a sister city relationship with the Australian municipality of Launceston, Tasmania.  It is that relationship which gives this collection its definite Australian flavor.  In 1967, to commemorate the sister-city relationship, Launceston gave Ikeda some Bennett’s wallabies.  To celebrate the 25^th anniversary of the relationship in 1990, Launceston sent 3 wombats.  Without question, the wombats are the stars of this zoo.  Their enclosures are the largest and are additionally surrounded by a guard railing to keep a protective distance between visitors and the fence.  They are also monitored by video that is streamed 24 hours a day on the internet. 

The photo below shows Wandar (female), a Naked-nosed Wombat (Vombatus Ursinus).  According to the IUCN’s red list of threatened species, a 2008 assessment rated the threat to this particular species of wombat as being of “least concern”, stating that this type of wombat was common and that the population trend of this animal was stable. 

This is Waine (male).

Bennett’s wallaby (Macropus rufogriseus).  A 2008 IUCN assessment also rates the threat to this animal as being of “least concern”.

Wallaby enclosure.  Given the relatively small size of the wallabies, this exhibit seemed to be fairly large, with enough space for them to hop back and forth over an open ground.

The Town Mascot

In the shopping arcade located nearest the zoo, I couldn’t find any directional signs leading to the zoo.  I did, however, find a number of wombat statues and signs featuring a wombat character. The wombat appears to have become the mascot of Ikeda City.

Shopping arcade

 Arcade sign

Statuette on a bench

Statuettes on a postal drop box

Farm Animals

Besides the wombats and wallabies, most of the other animals at this zoo are of the domesticated type (sheep, goats, alpacas, pigs, rabbits) that you would normally expect to find on a farm.  Much like on a farm, although the enclosures for these animals were not that big, the animals did not show any particular signs of distress or discomfort. 

Alpaca (Vicugna pacos) enclosure

Emu (Dromaius novaehollandiae)

Goats 

Sheep (Ovis aries)

Patagonian Cavy (Dolichotis patagonum)

Educational Efforts

Despite its small size, this zoo had a substantial educational room that included information regarding wombats as well as birds and small animals native to Japan.  Most interestingly, some of the wombats who lived at this zoo were preserved in the form of taxidermy specimens, skeletons, or pelts.  For the student of zoology, this is certainly very educational.  For visitors who loved the wombats when they were alive, it might be a bit morbid.  Unfortunately, the information in this room was only written in Japanese.  

This exhibit had a lot of information about wombats, including photos of each of the wombats who lived at Satsukiyama.

The display on the opposite wall includes taxidermy specimens of small mammals, birds, and insects native to Japan.

The below skeleton on the left is “Satsuki”, a female that passed away at the age of 19 years old.  The taxidermy specimen on the right is “Ayaha”, a female that lived until she was 5 years old. 

This framed set of bones is “Teia”, a female that died at 14 years old.

The pelt in the case below belonged to “Satsuki”, the 19-year old.  Apparently her bones and pelt were separated.  The hole in the middle of the Plexiglas case allows visitors to touch the pelt and experience the texture of wombat fur.  To the right of the case is a shipping crate that was presumably used to bring the wombats to Ikeda City.  A label on the wooden crate reads “Dreamworld, Gold Coast, Australia”.  

The Convict

The animals in this collection seemed to be in good condition.  The one possible exception might be the raccoon.  I don’t think that Japanese people particularly dislike raccoons (in fact a 1970’s anime featuring raccoons was very popular), but I do think that raccoons have an image problem.  Perhaps it is because they raid farmers’ fruit orchards and vegetable gardens and are considered serious agricultural pests.  Perhaps it is because they have been designated by the Japanese government as a harmful invasive species, and are therefore considered unwanted illegal aliens.  Perhaps it is because they have masked faces and look like bandits that belong in a jail.  At a number of zoos that I have visited in Japan, the raccoon enclosures have somehow reminded me of jail cells, with minimal features and only concrete floors. 

This particular raccoon had the smallest enclosure in this zoo.

The raccoon had bald patches on its back which appeared to be the result of biting itself.  I don’t know if this was a temporary state or the animal’s usual condition.  I also don’t know whether this was the result of fleas or stress. Whatever the cause, it was sad to see.

Opportunities for Animal Encounters

There was an area where visitors (mostly children) could touch rabbits, guinea pigs, turtles, and chickens during the time periods from 11:00 to 12:30 and from 13:40 to 15:00.

Besides this special area, almost all of the other enclosures (except for the wombat and raccoon enclosures) seemed designed to allow visitors to feed the animals.  Posted signs asked that visitors only give the animals food sold by the zoo, and coin-operated dispensers located throughout the zoo had feed pellets available for 100 yen.  Although separated by a fence or railing, visitors could have direct contact with the wallabies, goats, sheep, alpacas, and emus.

Food and Souvenirs

There was a park information house (below photo) with a small store near the zoo entrance that sold foods such as takoyaki and ice cream.  They also sold small stuffed animals.  The only products with the Satsukiyama Zoo name and logo were postcards and plastic file folders.

 Getting There

The nearest train station is the Hankyu Ikeda-shi station.  At the station, there were no visible signs or billboards specifically advertising the zoo, and no directional aids leading to the zoo.  Visitors should prepare themselves with a map and perhaps a smart phone equipped with a GPS application.  From the station, it is about a 1-kilometer walk up a gentle slope to the Satsukiyama Park that should take 15 to 20 minutes.  The zoo occupies a small part of the larger park, and it could be easily bypassed if you miss the landmarks (see above photos of the park information house and of the green zoo gate).  If you like wallabies, wombats, and going for walks, this zoo may well be worth your time.  Since admission is free, the only thing you risk is your time.

(Note: All photos taken in this post were taken during a visit on May 6, 2013.  The comments in this post are based on observations made on that day.  Conditions may have since changed.  Please check it out for yourself!)