Tennōji Zoo


Tennōji Zoo is a 11-hectare 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 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.
;IFAR Reptile House
;Other animals
Themed after a Southeast Asian rainforest, this zone formerly housed Asian elephants, the last of which, a female named Hiroko died 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.
;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.
;Southern Hemisphere House
;Chimpanzee Base
Expected to open in spring 2025
;Monkey and Baboon House
;Other animals
;Crane House
;World of Birds
Opened on November 21, 2023.
;Other
;Flight Aviary
Home to free-flying waterbirds, the aviary has springs, dams, streams and forest, recreating a natural environment.
;Penguin Park & Sea Lion Wharf
Opened on April 26, 2023.
;Bear House