Kobe Animal Kingdom Kobe Animal Kingdom, review and species list: 3 March 2025

[Chlidonias]

Kobe Animal Kingdom (Kobe, Japan): (3 March 2025)


The Kobe Animal Kingdom is easily visited from Osaka by taking a train to Sannomiya Station in Kobe (20-30 minutes), and then the Portliner train to the Keisan Kagaku Center Station (15 minutes), which the Kobe Animal Kingdom is directly beside.

As seen from the metro station

Map


The facility is mostly indoors, within a series of large greenhouses, with an outdoors area to the side. There is also one walk-through aviary (the African Wetland) situated between the greenhouses so it feels like you are still inside one, but which is mesh-roofed.

For the most part I really liked this zoo, and was there for about four hours. The greenhouses are basic structures and the overall feel of the place is that this is something you could do yourself if you had money and land. There is a lot to explore, and repeat visits through the greenhouses can be rewarding, but there is an unfortunate number of larger mammals such as tapirs kept in utterly too small enclosures which sours the experience. One whole section of primarily North American mammals needs to be scrapped because it is pretty appalling. However the tropical greenhouses look great, and the animals all look to be very well cared for. If the large mammals weren't here - or were given bigger enclosures outside - then I don't think I'd have any real complaints about the place.

There are no species lists on Zoochat for the Kobe Animal Kingdom, and only a single news thread: Kobe animal kingdom [Kobe Animal Kingdom]

It does seem like the species line-up changes quite regularly at this place, but below is the full species list as seen on my visit. I have noted which species were marked as off-display on my visit, and those which were on display but which I did not see in their enclosures.

In this first post I have arranged the species in taxonomic fashion (mammals, birds, etc), and in the following posts I have listed the species in the order they would be seen as going around the facility, divided into the different display areas.



MAMMALS:

Sugar Glider Petaurus breviceps
Striped Possum Dactylopsila trivirgata

Ring-tailed Lemur Lemur catta
Lesser (Senegal) Bushbaby Galago senegalensis
Pigmy Slow Loris Nycticebus pygmaeus
Cottontop Tamarin Saguinus oedipus
Common Marmoset Callithrix jacchus
Pigmy Marmoset Cebuella pygmaea

Linne's Two-toed Sloth Choloepus didactylus
Southern Tamandua Tamandua tetradactyla
Southern Three-banded Armadillo Tolypeutes matacus

Egyptian Fruit Bat Rousettus aegyptiacus

Sumatran Tiger Panthera tigris sumatrae
Puma Puma concolor
domestic Cat Felis catus
Sand Cat Felis margarita
Fishing Cat Prionailurus viverrinus
Pallas' Cat Otocolobus manul
Serval Leptailurus serval
domestic Dog Canis familiaris
Timber Wolf (signed as Canis lupus lycaon)
Fennec Fox Vulpes zerda
Bush Dog Speothos venaticus
American Black Bear Ursus americanus
Red Panda Ailurus (fulgens) styani
Small-clawed Otter Aonyx cinereus
Binturong Arctictis binturong
Meerkat Suricata suricatta
Striped Skunk Mephitis mephitis
Common Raccoon Procyon lotor
Kinkajou Potos flavus

South American Fur Seal Arctocephalus australis
Spotted Seal Phoca largha

Cape Rock Hyrax Procavia capensis

Brazilian Tapir Tapirus terrestris
Malayan Tapir Tapirus indicus
domestic Horse Equus caballus

Bactrian Camel Camelus bactrianus
Alpaca Lama pacos
domestic Sheep Ovis aries
Pigmy Hippopotamus Choeropsis liberiensis
Collared Peccary Pecari tajacu
Pudu Pudu puda

domestic Rabbit Oryctolagus cuniculus

Japanese Squirrel Sciurus lis
Japanese Dwarf Flying Squirrel Pteromys momonga
Black-tailed Prairie Dog Cynomys ludovicianus (did not see)
Northern Luzon Cloud Rat Phloeomys pallidus
Amami Spiny Rat Tokudaia osimensis
domestic Guinea Pig Cavia porcellus
Mara Dolichotis patagonum
Capybara Hydrochoeris hydrochaeris
American Beaver Castor canadensis


BIRDS:

Penguins: signed as African Penguin Spheniscus demersus but probably a mix of pure and hybrid birds with the variation in their breast-bands. Maybe some Magellanic Penguins Spheniscus magellanicus in there.

Mallard Anas platyrhynchos
Eurasian Wigeon Anas penelope
Mandarin Duck Aix galericulata
Ringed Teal Callonetta leucophrys
Ruddy Shelduck Tadorna ferruginea
Common Shelduck Tadorna tadorna

Common Moorhen Gallinula chloropus

Great White Pelican Pelecanus onocrotalus

Shoebill Balaeniceps rex

Blacksmith Plover Vanellus armatus
Black-necked Stilt Himantopus mexicanus

Greater Flamingo Phoenicopterus rosaceus

African Spoonbill Platalea alba
Roseate Spoonbill Platalea ajaja
Black-faced Spoonbill Platalea minor
Scarlet Ibis Eudocimus ruber
American White Ibis Eudocimus albus
Sacred Ibis Threskiornis aethiopicus

Marabou Leptoptilos crumenifer

Japanese Night Heron Gorsachius goisagi
Boat-billed Heron Cochlearius cochlearius

Tawny Frogmouth Podargus strigoides

Verreaux's Eagle Owl Bubo lacteus
Brown Wood Owl Strix leptogrammica
Barn Owl Tyto alba

Crested Wood Partridge (Roulroul) Rollulus roulroul

Greater Sulphur-crested Cockatoo Cacatua galerita
Green-winged Macaw Ara chloropterus
Blue and Gold Macaw Ara ararauna

Victoria Crowned Pigeon Goura victoria

Northern Carmine Bee-eater Merops nubicus
Violet Touraco Musophaga violacea
Western Plantain-eater Crinifer piscator
Toco Toucan Ramphastos toco
Red-billed Toucan Ramphastos tucanus


REPTILES:

Smooth-fronted Caiman Paleosuchus trigonatus

Pig-nosed Turtle Carettochelys insculpta
Alligator Snapping Turtle Macrochelys temminckii
Radiated Tortoise Astrochelys radiata
Aldabra Tortoise Aldabrachelys gigantea

Burmese Python Python bivittatus

Miyako Grass Lizard Takydromus toyamai
Green Iguana Iguana iguana


FISH:

Arapaima Arapaima gigas
Tambaqui Colossoma macropomum
Doctor Fish Garra sp. (probably Garra rufa)
Common Carp Cyprinus carpio
Koi Carp Cyprinus rubrofuscus
Red-bellied Piranha Pygocentrus nattereri
Swordtail Xiphophorus helleri
Platy Xiphophorus maculatus
Guppy Poecilia reticulata
Common Molly Poecilia sphenops
Sailfin Molly Poecilia velifera
Peppered Corydoras Corydoras paleatus
Tilapia sp.
Midas Cichlid Amphilophus citrinellus

 

[Chlidonias]

In these following posts I have listed the species by section, in roughly the order you would see them as walking around (although note that there is no single route through the facility). The areas will be covered in this order:

Contact Animals
Wild Night Animals
Tropical Pool
Big Bill
Asian Forest
African Wetland
Tropical Forest
Rocky Valley
Outdoor Area

Photos of most of the areas are in the gallery: Kobe Animal Kingdom - ZooChat

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CONTACT ANIMALS:

The opening part of the facility if entering from the Keisan Kagaku Center metro station (there is also an entrance on the opposite side of the buildings). This is basically a petting area for domestic pet animals.

domestic Cat
domestic Dog (puppies)
domestic Guinea Pig
domestic Rabbit

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WILD NIGHT ANIMALS:

A much better nocturnal house than I was expecting - all enclosures were bigger than their equivalents in the Ueno or Tennoji Zoos (although as is almost always the case in nocturnal houses, they should be a lot bigger). The only actually poor exhibit was a Barn Owl tethered to an open perch. There was no signs of stereotyping in any animals on my visit. Feeding had taken place just as I arrived (around 10.30am) and all the animals were very active. I went back through the house about three hours later and most animals were still active (only the Amami Spiny Rats and Japanese Dwarf Flying Squirrels were not seen on this second time through).

Species are listed in the order they are seen as you move through the house.

Verreaux's Eagle Owl Bubo lacteus
Brown Wood Owl Strix leptogrammica
Northern Luzon Cloud Rat Phloeomys pallidus
Egyptian Fruit Bat Rousettus aegyptiacus
Sugar Glider Petaurus breviceps
Southern Three-banded Armadillo Tolypeutes matacus
[The Sugar Glider and Armadillos were in the same enclosure]
Amami Spiny Rat Tokudaia osimensis
Striped Possum Dactylopsila trivirgata
Kinkajou Potos flavus
Japanese Dwarf Flying Squirrel Pteromys momonga
Lesser (Senegal) Bushbaby Galago senegalensis
Pigmy Slow Loris Nycticebus pygmaeus
Barn Owl Tyto alba

Example of one of the enclosures, this one for a Kinkajou

 

[Chlidonias]

TROPICAL POOL:

Labeled as just "Water Lilies" on the map. Outside the entrance to this greenhouse (i.e. while still in the general Contact Animals area) there are glass-fronted enclosures for Sand Cats on one side, and Meerkat and Rock Hyrax on the other. Nearby is a glass-fronted enclosure for a pair of Pudu. Inside the entrance to the greenhouse is a Fish Spa with unlabelled species but they are some kind of Garra (Garra rufa seems to be the standard one used in fish spas). The Tropical Pool itself is a large rectangular waterlily pond labeled for livebearers, which can be fed. This is a hall which feels like it should have small tropical birds or butterflies in it.

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Pudu Pudu puda

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Sand Cat Felis margarita
Meerkat Suricata suricatta
Cape Rock Hyrax Procavia capensis

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Doctor Fish Garra sp. (Fish Spa)

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Swordtail Xiphophorus helleri
Platy Xiphophorus maculatus
Guppy Poecilia reticulata
Common Molly Poecilia sphenops
Sailfin Molly Poecilia velifera
Peppered Corydoras Corydoras paleatus

 

[Chlidonias]

BIG BILL:
"Shoebill Ecological Garden"

A large greenhouse with the visitor pathway down the length of one side. There are unsigned Tilapia in the pool. There is a pair of Shoebills in here. Although there is a wall at one end set up as a nesting bank for bee-eaters I think there is only a single bird in here. I saw a couple each of the plovers and night herons. All the birds have free range of the entire hall.


Shoebill Balaeniceps rex
Blacksmith Plover Vanellus armatus
Japanese Night Heron Gorsachius goisagi
Northern Carmine Bee-eater Merops nubicus

Tilapia sp.

 

[Chlidonias]

ASIAN FOREST:

Three species are held in here. The Red Pandas and Binturongs are in open enclosures. The Pallas' Cats are in two connected enclosures. All these animals were active and seemed very relaxed around the visitors.

Outside the exit (roughly between the Asian Forest Trail and the African Wetlands) is a large terrarium for Miyako Grass Lizards.


Pallas' Cat Otocolobus manul
Red Panda Ailurus (fulgens) styani
Binturong Arctictis binturong

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Miyako Grass Lizard Takydromus toyamai

 

[Chlidonias]

AFRICAN WETLAND:

Another large walk-through area, although it is situated in the centre of the greenhouses and is actually open to the sky (with a mesh roof). The centre of the enclosure is a moated island, so visitors can walk around the perimeter and then cross a bridge onto the island area. There are a lot of different species of water birds in here from all over the world despite the name "African Wetland". Ring-tailed Lemurs have free range of the whole area. Small glass-fronted enclosures for Serval and Fennecs are on the outside pathway, and one for Rock Hyrax on the island.

Serval enclosure - viewing through the windows at front. Note the free-ranging Ring-tailed Lemur.

Rock Hyrax enclosure

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Ring-tailed Lemur Lemur catta
Serval Leptailurus serval
Fennec Fox Vulpes zerda
Cape Rock Hyrax Procavia capensis

Mallard Anas platyrhynchos
Eurasian Wigeon Anas penelope
Mandarin Duck Aix galericulata
Ringed Teal Callonetta leucophrys
Ruddy Shelduck Tadorna ferruginea
Common Shelduck Tadorna tadorna
Common Moorhen Gallinula chloropus
Great White Pelican Pelecanus onocrotalus
Blacksmith Plover Vanellus armatus
Black-necked Stilt Himantopus mexicanus
Greater Flamingo Phoenicopterus rosaceus
African Spoonbill Platalea alba
Roseate Spoonbill Platalea ajaja
Black-faced Spoonbill Platalea minor
Scarlet Ibis Eudocimus ruber
American White Ibis Eudocimus albus
Sacred Ibis Threskiornis aethiopicus
Marabou Leptoptilos crumenifer

Common Carp Cyprinus carpio

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Pigmy Hippopotamus Choeropsis liberiensis

Two very small enclosures for Pigmy Hippos are outside the entrance to this hall (between the entrances to the African Wetland and the Tropical Forest).

 

[Chlidonias]

TROPICAL FOREST:

Divided into two halls. The second hall is divided again with the final area titled Tropical Wetland (although it is only partially-separated and the birds can move between them).

This is mostly another good greenhouse exhibit, but it is tainted by some extremely small enclosures for larger mammals. There are two enclosures for Brazilian Tapirs which are both extremely small, and the enclosures for Bush Dogs and Fishing Cats are also much too small. Tamanduas and sloths look good in here, but they are actually restricted to a few branches, so the amount of space they have in reality is not great. Common Marmosets and most of the birds have free range. Some birds (the parrots and the Toco Toucan) are basically props and must be wing-clipped.

The first hall and the Tropical Wetland are the "worst", and the middle hall is mostly really good.

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First hall:

Linne's Two-toed Sloth Choloepus didactylus
Bush Dog Speothos venaticus
Brazilian Tapir Tapirus terrestris
Mara Dolichotis patagonum

Tawny Frogmouth Podargus strigoides
Green-winged Macaw Ara chloropterus
Blue and Gold Macaw Ara ararauna
Toco Toucan Ramphastos toco

Aldabra Tortoise Aldabrachelys gigantea

Midas Cichlid Amphilophus citrinellus

Brazilian Tapir enclosure

Bush Dog enclosure

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Second hall:

Common Marmoset Callithrix jacchus
Cottontop Tamarin Saguinus oedipus
Pigmy Marmoset Cebuella pygmaea
Linne's Two-toed Sloth Choloepus didactylus
Southern Tamandua Tamandua tetradactyla
Southern Three-banded Armadillo Tolypeutes matacus
Northern Luzon Cloud Rat Phloeomys pallidus

Boat-billed Heron Cochlearius cochlearius
Crested Wood Partridge (Roulroul) Rollulus roulroul
Greater Sulphur-crested Cockatoo Cacatua galerita
Blue and Gold Macaw Ara ararauna
Victoria Crowned Pigeon Goura victoria
Violet Touraco Musophaga violacea
Western Plantain-eater Crinifer piscator
Red-billed Toucan Ramphastos tucanus

Arapaima Arapaima gigas
Tambaqui Colossoma macropomum

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Tropical Wetland:

Fishing Cat Prionailurus viverrinus
Brazilian Tapir Tapirus terrestris

Smooth-fronted Caiman Paleosuchus trigonatus
Pig-nosed Turtle Carettochelys insculpta
Alligator Snapping Turtle Macrochelys temminckii
Burmese Python Python bivittatus
Green Iguana Iguana iguana

Red-bellied Piranha Pygocentrus nattereri

Brazilian Tapir enclosure

Fishing Cat enclosure

Burmese Python and Green Iguana tanks

Red-bellied Piranha tank

 

[Chlidonias]

SUMATRAN TIGER ECOLOGICAL GARDEN:
ROCKY VALLEY:

The worst area in the facility, solely housing mammals - most of which are large species - in enclosures which are far too small. Even the smaller species in here are in enclosures which are too small. The Puma and Collared Peccaries are by far the worst of the worst in here, both being housed in very-small entirely-indoors glass-fronted boxes. The photos make the enclosures look better than they are in reality. The tiger, bear and wolves have relatively-larger enclosures which are open to the sky.

There is also an animal show arena to the side here but it was not open when I was there.

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Sumatran Tiger Ecological Garden:

Sumatran Tiger Panthera tigris sumatrae

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Rocky Valley:

Puma Puma concolor
Timber Wolf (signed as Canis lupus lycaon)
American Black Bear Ursus americanus
Striped Skunk Mephitis mephitis
Common Raccoon Procyon lotor
Collared Peccary Pecari tajacu
Black-tailed Prairie Dog Cynomys ludovicianus (did not see)
American Beaver Castor canadensis

Puma enclosure

Wolf enclosure

American Black Bear enclosure

Striped Skunk enclosure

Common Raccoon enclosures

Collared Peccary enclosure

North American Beaver enclosure

Prairie Dog enclosure

 

[Chlidonias]

OUTDOOR AREA:

Divided into several areas. First is an area for domestic animals, some of which give rides (the camel and horse). Then there are a couple of quite small seal pools, a penguin pool, and an "Otter Sanctuary" for Small-clawed Otters and Malayan Tapir. A long straight pool here houses Koi Carp.

The penguin enclosure is signed as African Penguins but is probably a mix of pure and hybrid birds.

At the end of the one-way path are a walk-through aviary-style enclosure for Japanese Squirrels like that at Inokashira Zoo in Tokyo, and a Pantanal enclosure which just houses Capybara. There was formerly a kangaroo and deer enclosure here as well but whatever is replacing it does not appear to be open yet.

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domestic Horse Equus caballus
Bactrian Camel Camelus bactrianus
Alpaca Lama pacos
domestic Sheep Ovis aries

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South American Fur Seal Arctocephalus australis
Spotted Seal Phoca largha

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Small-clawed Otter Aonyx cinereus
Malayan Tapir Tapirus indicus

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Japanese Squirrel Sciurus lis

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Capybara Hydrochoeris hydrochaeris

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Penguins: signed as African Penguin Spheniscus demersus but probably a mix of pure and hybrid birds with the variation in their breastbands. Maybe some Magellanic Penguins Spheniscus magellanicus in there.

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Koi Carp Cyprinus rubrofuscus

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[PossumRoach]

Thank you for your review of Kobe Animal Kingdom. I have been hoping for the day up-to-date pictures of the park in the gallery since @aardvark250 uploaded their walkthrough pictures back in 2018. I also appreciate that you were able to, despite the park’s glaring flaws that take up a huge chunk of it, see “the full half of the cup”.

Kobe Animal Kingdom is an interesting park to follow. The park, after getting converted from Kobe Kachouen, is only 10 years old and a lot of changes has happened. I do hope that the construction by Pantanal and Squirrel Forest is used to improve the lives of one or more of the ungulates that are still stuck in their small enclosures inside. But only time will tell…

 

[Chlidonias]

Thank you for your review of Kobe Animal Kingdom. I have been hoping for the day up-to-date pictures of the park in the gallery since @aardvark250 uploaded their walkthrough pictures back in 2018. I also appreciate that you were able to, despite the park’s glaring flaws that take up a huge chunk of it, see “the full half of the cup”.

Kobe Animal Kingdom is an interesting park to follow. The park, after getting converted from Kobe Kachouen, is only 10 years old and a lot of changes has happened. I do hope that the construction by Pantanal and Squirrel Forest is used to improve the lives of one or more of the ungulates that are still stuck in their small enclosures inside. But only time will tell…

It is a curious thing with Japan, that there are a lot of Zoochatters going there nowadays but relatively few reviews of zoos get posted and even fewer species lists, and photos are mostly of individual animals because they are "unusual" from a Western perspective but few are of the enclosures. It is difficult to get a "feel" for many of the zoos from what is posted on the forum.

It wouldn't take much to make Kobe Animal Kingdom infinitely better - the major issues there are the large mammals, and the bulk of that problem is the Rocky Valley area. It's a shame that the Pantanal development was just for Capybara and didn't include the tapirs as well. The Capybara could have still had range of the whole area simply by having access spaces too small for the tapirs to pass through, and that way the tapirs would have had a larger enclosure than what they have now, and the Capybara could still be fed and interacted with by the visitors on the non-tapir side. It would be great if the ex-kangaroo area, because it is next to Pantanal, were made as an extension of that to be enclosures for the tapirs and peccaries, although that's probably not what will happen.

One thing I did notice about the zoo is the lack of birds, which sounds weird when there is quite a big bird list, but most of those are in the African Wetland aviary. I don't know what the bird import laws are in Japan, but some of those greenhouses were crying out for free-flying birds.

 

[PossumRoach]

It wouldn't take much to make Kobe Animal Kingdom infinitely better - the major issues there are the large mammals, and the bulk of that problem is the Rocky Valley area. It's a shame that the Pantanal development was just for Capybara and didn't include the tapirs as well. The Capybara could have still had range of the whole area simply by having access spaces too small for the tapirs to pass through, and that way the tapirs would have had a larger enclosure than what they have now, and the Capybara could still be fed and interacted with by the visitors on the non-tapir side. It would be great if the ex-kangaroo area, because it is next to Pantanal, were made as an extension of that to be enclosures for the tapirs and peccaries, although that's probably not what will happen.

Indeed. When I first heard about this park I was charmed by its lack of focus on larger animals at the time. So you can imagine how gobsmacked I was when I first heard that the park would have tapirs, then puma, following up to now. The Pantanal area also bugs me because the visitor path (from what I have seen) takes a huge area of the enclosure, which is not great during Golden Week and other occasions when there are too many visitors. Not counting the pool, there’s very little retreat areas for the animals.

One thing I did notice about the zoo is the lack of birds, which sounds weird when there is quite a big bird list, but most of those are in the African Wetland aviary. I don't know what the bird import laws are in Japan, but some of those greenhouses were crying out for free-flying birds.

The small number is surprising considering that this park used to be a bird park before it was changed to Kobe Animal Kingdom. The nocturnal area is built on what used to be a parrot interaction area (plus a gift shop). I recall seeing Senegal parrot, red-fronted parrot, white-bellied parrot, cockatiel, galah, and peach faced lovebird. But those birds were in a wooden box rather than fly within the greenhouse.

As far as I know Japan does have restrictions against Galliformes, Anseriformes, and ostriches since they are considered livestock and fall under livestock in import and quarantine inspection laws.

Other birds require a notification before import, with requirements to ensure that the birds are not infected with West Nile Virus nor HPAI.

The Timaliidae family is regulated under the Invasive Alien Species Act in all three categories (Designated Invasive Alien Species, Unevaluated Alien Species, and Living Organisms Required to have a Certificate Attached during their importation in order to verify their types)

Otherwise I argue that the lack of free flying birds could be attributed to a lack of interest. From what I have seen both in person and online, there doesn’t seem to be too much interest towards most exotic birds in Japan. Species that would otherwise be taken for granted in Europe and the US such as sunbitterns, red-legged seriemas, and golden-bellied starlings are either rare or nonexistent in Japanese zoos.

 

[PossumRoach]

Divided into several areas. First is an area for domestic animals, some of which give rides (the camel and horse). Then there are a couple of quite small seal pools, a penguin pool, and an "Otter Sanctuary" for Small-clawed Otters and Malayan Tapir. A long straight pool here houses Koi Carp.

This is a late question but how small was the enclosure for the tapir? I take it that it is obviously not satisfactory but I was wondering if it was as unacceptable as the lowland tapir enclosure since there wasn’t an explanation whether or not the pictures make the enclosure larger or smaller than it is.

 

[aramacao]

Great review!

I'm going to visit this park in a few weeks. Although I'll visit every space and observe and photograph all the species, I'm especially interested in the striped opossums, now gone in Europe. Any tips for seeing and photographing them well? What's the best time? Thank you.

 

[Chlidonias]

This is a late question but how small was the enclosure for the tapir? I take it that it is obviously not satisfactory but I was wondering if it was as unacceptable as the lowland tapir enclosure since there wasn’t an explanation whether or not the pictures make the enclosure larger or smaller than it is.

The Malayan Tapir enclosure wasn't large, obviously, but it wasn't that small either. Much larger than either of the indoor Brazilian Tapir enclosures. I thought I had a photo of it from another angle but it seems I don't. The photo I have there makes the enclosure look smaller than it is because it is foreshortened and also at an odd angle to have the sign in it, but there is a tapir in the photo (the white blob just to the left of the sign is the tapir). The photo only shows part of the enclosure as well.

 

[Chlidonias]

Great review!

I'm going to visit this park in a few weeks. Although I'll visit every space and observe and photograph all the species, I'm especially interested in the striped opossums, now gone in Europe. Any tips for seeing and photographing them well? What's the best time? Thank you.

I was in the nocturnal house at 10.30am (the zoo opens at 10am) and all the animals had just been fed, so I would suggest just going in there first thing. Every species was very active at this time. I went back in before I left about three hours later and most animals were still active, so (as far as my visit went) there wasn't a "best" time for the possums.

My first time through I saw one possum, but the second time there were two of them out.

All the enclosures are lit with red light, so I just took photos with my phone (it works better than my real camera would without the flash).

 

[Kifaru Bwana]

As far as I know Japan does have restrictions against Galliformes, Anseriformes, and ostriches since they are considered livestock and fall under livestock in import and quarantine inspection laws.

Other birds require a notification before import, with requirements to ensure that the birds are not infected with West Nile Virus nor HPAI.

The Timaliidae family is regulated under the Invasive Alien Species Act in all three categories (Designated Invasive Alien Species, Unevaluated Alien Species, and Living Organisms Required to have a Certificate Attached during their importation in order to verify their types)

Vice versa are there restrictions also for export of certain bird species or with the Galliformes and perhaps various wading birds (storks, ibis, ... cranes)?

 

[PossumRoach]

Vice versa are there restrictions also for export of certain bird species or with the Galliformes and perhaps various wading birds (storks, ibis, ... cranes)?

Sorry for the late response but I am not too knowledgeable about the export of animals outside of Japan. However it’s fair to believe that other than CITES, local endangered species are subjected to restrictions as well. I’d believe the restrictions over biosecurity would depend on the importing country.