Adventure World (Japan)


Adventure World 2=アドベンチャーワールド is an amusement park with a zoo and public aquarium located in the town of Shirahama, Wakayama Prefecture, Japan. It is operated by Hours Co., Ltd., an affiliate of Marusue Co., Ltd. headquartered in Matsubara, Osaka Prefecture. The park opened on April 22, 1978, as Nanki Shirahama World Safari.
WWW aws-s.com𝕏 aws_officialFB adventureworld.officialYT UCVEmpbL5VzfXsULPFeRsj4QTikTok adventureworldofficialIG adventureworld_officialTHR adventureworld_official

Overview

Operating under the motto of "contact between humans, animals, and nature", Adventure World consists of a zoo, aquarium, and an amusement park. The park's many facilities include a giant panda breeding exhibition and dolphin and sea lion shows. The park also hosts various animal-themed restaurants and cafes, as well as academic tours.
In January 2023, two lions at Adventure World died of COVID-19 after contact with an infected employee. A further eight lions became infected, but recovered.

Zoo

The Adventure World zoo is divided into several different areas and attractions:

Giant Panda Conservation

Adventure World operates as the Japanese branch of the Chengdu Giant Panda Research Base in Chengdu, China. The giant panda breeding research project had successfully bred 17 giant pandas by September 2018, the highest number in the world both in terms of live births and mature offspring maintained outside of mainland China. As of September 12, 2018, Adventure World was home to six of the ten captive pandas in Japan; Ueno Zoo had three, and Kobe Oji Zoo had one.
Panda Love, the park's panda center, provides an open area where pandas can roam at will. All the giant pandas currently in captivity, including offspring, are owned by the Chengdu Giant Panda Research Base.
The giant pandas at the park are a massive tourism attraction for Shirahama, known colloquially as 'The Panda Town'.
On July 11, 2019, The Wakayama Prefectural Police named Saihama, one of the park's giant pandas, the "Traffic Safety Wakayama Dream Ambassador" to raise awareness for road traffic safety. Saihama appeared in posters and promotional products to raise awareness for traffic safety. In July 2022, as part of the "Wakayama Summer Traffic Safety Movement", Ayahama became the new mascot of the campaign.
All pandas born at the research base have names that carry the suffix 2=浜. Eimei fathered 14 pandas, except for the 1st, and the 6th panda, who died shortly after birth. Eimei gave birth to Ranbao in 2002 at the Lanzhou Zoo in China via artificial insemination from Ran and Shulan, but he died on August 30, 2012.
NameSexDate of birthBirthplaceNotes
Rauhin/Liangbang
FemaleSeptember 6, 2000 Adventure WorldFather: Haran, mother: Meimei;
The first giant panda born in Japan in twelve years.
Yuihin/Jiebang
FemaleSeptember 18, 2016 Adventure WorldFather: Eimei, mother: Rauhin
Saihin/Caibang
FemaleAugust 14, 2018 Adventure WorldFather: Eimei, mother: Rauhin;
had a stillborn twin
Fuhin/Fengbang
FemaleNovember 22, 2020 Adventure WorldFather: Eimei, mother: Rauhin;
originally thought to be male


In March 2011, Wakayama Prefecture Governor Yoshinobu Nisaka gave the title of Wakayama Prefecture Honore to three pandas: Eimei, Rauhan, and Meimei.
This followed the Tama Stationmaster at Kishi Station on the Wakayama Electric Railway Kishigawa Line, and acted as a recognition and tribute to the nationwide dissemination of the charm of Wakayama Prefecture by increasing the number of panda families.

Aquarium

Attractions

Marine Live & Animal Action

The dolphin and whale show, called "Marine Live", is held in a pool with a tank capacity of. The tank has a width of, a length of, and a depth of. The show features an original soundtrack, sold within the park. A sea lion show is also held under the name "Animal Action".

Polar bears

On October 20, 2009, Adventure World announced the arrival of a female polar bear cub named Mirai, born on October 13. Mirai died on May 16, 2014.
In 2013, a male polar bear cub was born. Following the death of a male polar bear from liver cancer in 2014, it was decided to borrow the male polar bear Gogo from Tennōji Zoo in March 2015.

Penguins

Eight species of penguins are exhibited, including.
Approximately 470 birds have been bred, which is one of the largest amounts in the world. In particular, the breeding of emperor penguins has been successful. On October 1, 2019, the facility hatched its 13th emperor penguin chick.

Killer whales

The killer whale show at Adventure World was once famous but ceased after the death of the last killer whale in 2005.
Adventure World's first killer whale, Kianu, was brought from Six Flags Discovery Kingdom in California five days before the opening of the amusement park in 1978. Some time afterwards, only Goro remained, but fell ill on 18 January 2005 and died on March 21 at 9:20 pm. Other orcas, including Benkei, Ushiwaka, Ruka, and Ai, were also bred intermittently. Four eggs and sets of sperm from Ruka, Goro, Ran, and Kyu, collected before they died, have been preserved in preparation for future artificial insemination.

Play Zone (Amusement Park)

Adventure World also features an Amusement Park section called 'Play Zone'. The area features a number of attractions, including:
The park features both indoor and outdoor attractions.

Zoological Academy

An educational facility for the training of zookeepers connected to the park opened in 2000. Located on the Adventure World site, it is the only facility in Japan where trainees receive specialised daily animal training in the park from keepers.
The Academy offers a two-year wildlife management programme and a one-year wildlife short-term programme. Programmes also include basic veterinary medicine, biology, and zoology. Classes are also offered in English, business, hospitality, and Zoo management. In the final year, trainees conduct research on an animal within the park.
The academy works closely with the AWS Zoological Academy in the United States and Australia. Graduates are active in animal breeding sites all over Japan.