Hirakawa Zoo (Kagoshima, Japan): (24 March 2025)
The Hirakawa Zoo is one of the best zoos I have visited in Japan. It only opened in 1972 so it is mostly devoid of the sort of horrible cages at somewhere like Ueno Zoo. The row of monkey cages is really awful and the bear enclosures are way too small, but you could imagine that in the early 1970s the latter would have been seen as fantastic - especially if compared to other Japanese zoos of the time. Most of the other enclosures and cages are fine, and there are some really good ones too like the primate islands and the walk-through aviaries.
The grounds are extensive and very "garden-y" with forest. Shuttle buses drive a circuit through the zoo, but it is easy enough to do by foot (although some of the roads are a bit confusing when trying to follow them on the map).
The lay-out of the zoo is partly taxonomic - there is a "Bears of the World", "Cranes of the World", "Monkeys of the World", etc - and partly geographical - there is a South American area, an Australian area, and an African Savannah, for example. The African Savannah is actually the first exhibit seen on entry:
The zoo is easy to reach by public transport. I had read some sites saying that you need to take a train and then walk for half an hour, but the number 2 bus goes directly there from the city centre (the zoo is the terminal stop).
Photos are in the Japan Other gallery: start at this photo and use the left arrow to go through them.
Map-board at entrance - Hirakawa Zoo (Kagoshima) - ZooChat
..............................................................
MAMMALS:
The only really bad enclosures at the zoo are for the monkeys and bears. All the bears are in small moated grottos which would have been state of the art in the early 1970s but are now far too small. The primates are a bit of a mixed bag - there is a whole row of awful cages called "Monkeys of the World" which are devastatingly small, but then there are a couple of really big planted islands (for Siamang and Ring-tailed Lemurs), and the enclosures for Chimps and Orangutan aren't large but aren't tiny either.
The carnivores (apart for the bears) are all in reasonably-sized cages, most of which are planted. Those for the Leopards and Jaguars are very tall. Even the smaller mammals such as raccoons are in pretty good outside enclosures which isn't often the case (smaller mammals such as these are often kept in very small dark cages in Japanese zoos). The Californian Sealions are in the largest pinniped pool I have seen in a Japanese zoo.
The macropods are in a large walk-through enclosure, and the Koala House has loads of Koalas in compounds such as you'd see in any Australian zoo (except indoors).
Koala Phascolarctos cinereus
Bennett's Wallaby Notamacropus rufogriseus
Eastern Grey Kangaroo Macropus giganteus
Red Kangaroo Osphranter rufus
Egyptian Fruit Bat Rousettus aegyptiacus
Lesser (Senegal) Bushbaby Galago senegalensis
Ring-tailed Lemur Lemur catta
Black and White Ruffed Lemur Varecia variegata
Cottontop Tamarin Saguinus oedipus
Bolivian Squirrel Monkey Saimiri boliviensis
Tufted Capuchin Cebus apella
Geoffroy's (Black-handed ) Spider Monkey Ateles geoffroyi
Savannah Monkey Chlorocebus aethiops
Patas Monkey Erythrocebus patas
De Brazza's Monkey Cercopithecus neglectus
Hamadryas Baboon Papio hamadryas
Mandrill Mandrillus sphinx
Southern Pig-tailed Macaque Macaca nemestrina
Lion-tailed Macaque Macaca silenus
Japanese Macaque Macaca fuscata fuscata
Yakushima Macaque Macaca fuscata yakui
White-handed Gibbon Hylobates lar
Siamang Symphalangus syndactylus
Bornean Orangutan Pongo pygmaeus
Chimpanzee Pan troglodytes
*African Lion Panthera leo (cage occupied by a Timber Wolf)
White Tiger Panthera tigris
Black Leopard Panthera pardus
Black Jaguar Panthera onca
Mainland Leopard Cat Prionailurus bengalensis
Eastern Timber Wolf (signed as Canis lupus lycaon)
Japanese Red Fox Vulpes vulpes japonicus
Japanese Raccoon Dog Nyctereutes viverrinus
Bush Dog Speothos venaticus
Polar Bear Ursus maritimus
Hokkaido Brown Bear Ursus arctos lasiotis
Japanese Black Bear Ursus thibetanus japonicus
Red Panda Ailurus (fulgens) styani
*Japanese Badger Meles anakuma (cage was empty and looked long-disused)
Small-clawed Otter Aonyx cinereus
Binturong Arctictis binturong
Meerkat Suricata suricatta
Common Raccoon Procyon lotor
Kinkajou Potos flavus
Californian Sealion Zalophus californianus
Southern Three-banded Armadillo Tolypeutes matacus
Linne's Two-toed Sloth Choloepus didactylus
Indian Elephant Elephas maximus indicus
Plains Zebra Equus quagga
domestic Horse (Tokara Pony)
domestic Donkey
Brazilian Tapir Tapirus terrestris
Giraffe Giraffa camelopardalis (labeled as Masai Giraffes G. c. tippelskirchi)
Llama Lama glama
Common Hippopotamus Hippopotamus amphibius
Kyushu Wild Pig Sus scrofa leucomystax
domestic Sheep
domestic Goat
Barbary Sheep (Aoudad) Ammotragus lervia
Mageshima Sika Deer Cervus nippon mageshimae
Taiwan Sika Deer Cervus nippon taiouanus
*Sika Deer Cervus nippon (a third yard was just labeled with this name - i.e. no subspecies name - but I didn't see these ones)
Fallow Deer Dama dama (white)
Japanese Hare Lepus brachyurus brachyurus (did not see)
Amami Rabbit Pentalagus furnessi
domestic Rabbit
domestic Guinea Pig
Patagonian Mara Dolichotis patagonum
Capybara Hydrochoeris hydrochaeris
African Crested Porcupine Hystrix cristata
Japanese Giant Flying Squirrel Petaurista leucogenys leucogenys (did not see)
Black-tailed Prairie Dog Cynomys ludovicianus
Amami Spiny Rat Tokudaia osimensis (did not see)
..............................................................
BIRDS:
The crane aviaries (above) are very small, but most aviaries are a good size - the first two photos below are bird of prey aviaries, and the third is for Caribbean and Chilean Flamingoes.
There are two walk-through aviaries:
Ostrich Struthio camelus
Emu Dromaius novaehollandiae
Humboldt Penguin Spheniscus humboldti
White-tailed Eagle Haliaetus albicilla
Grey-faced Buzzard Butastur indicus
Black Kite Milvus migrans
King Vulture Sarcoramphus papa
Common Kestrel Falco tinnunculus
Ural Owl Strix uralensis
Indian Peafowl Pavo cristatus (blue and white forms)
Red Junglefowl Gallus gallus (did not see)
Chinese Bamboo Partridge Bambusicola thoracicus
Grey Crowned Crane Balearica regulorum
Blue Crane Anthropoides paradiseus
Demoiselle Crane Anthropoides virgo
White-naped Crane Antigone vipio
Common Crane Grus grus
Hooded Crane Grus monacha
Black-necked Crane Grus nigricollis
Red-crowned Crane Grus japonensis
Siberian Crane Grus leucogeranus
Sarus Crane Grus antigone
*Sandhill Crane Grus canadensis (signed but aviary empty)
*Wattled Crane Bugeranus carunculatus (signed but aviary empty)
Marabou Leptoptilos crumenifer
European White Stork Ciconia ciconia
Scarlet Ibis Eudocimus ruber
Greater Flamingo Phoenicopterus roseus
Caribbean Flamingo Phoenicopterus ruber
Chilean Flamingo Phoenicopterus chilensis
Black Swan Cygnus atratus
Egyptian Goose Alopochen aegyptiaca
domestic Duck
Eastern Spot-billed Duck Anas zonorhyncha
Mandarin Duck Aix galericulata
Galah Eolophus roseicapilla
Lidth's Jay Garrulus lidthi
..............................................................
REPTILES:
All the reptiles are housed in the Reptile / Nocturnal House. The terrariums are mostly a fair enough size, although very barren.
This one is for Japanese Rat Snakes.
The crocodilians, in contrast, do not get a lot of room.
American Alligator Alligator mississippiensis
Spectacled Caiman Caiman crocodilus
Alligator Snapping Turtle Macroochelys temminckii
Yellow-margined Box Turtle Cuora flavomarginata
Aldabra Tortoise Aldabrachelys gigantea
Radiated Tortoise Astrochelys radiata
Indian Star Tortoise Geochelone elegans
Horsfield's Tortoise Testudo horsfieldii
Red-footed Tortoise Chelonoidis carbonaria
Ryukyu Odd-toothed Snake Lycodon semicarinatus
Japanese Rat Snake Elaphe climacophora
The Hirakawa Zoo is one of the best zoos I have visited in Japan. It only opened in 1972 so it is mostly devoid of the sort of horrible cages at somewhere like Ueno Zoo. The row of monkey cages is really awful and the bear enclosures are way too small, but you could imagine that in the early 1970s the latter would have been seen as fantastic - especially if compared to other Japanese zoos of the time. Most of the other enclosures and cages are fine, and there are some really good ones too like the primate islands and the walk-through aviaries.
The grounds are extensive and very "garden-y" with forest. Shuttle buses drive a circuit through the zoo, but it is easy enough to do by foot (although some of the roads are a bit confusing when trying to follow them on the map).
The lay-out of the zoo is partly taxonomic - there is a "Bears of the World", "Cranes of the World", "Monkeys of the World", etc - and partly geographical - there is a South American area, an Australian area, and an African Savannah, for example. The African Savannah is actually the first exhibit seen on entry:
The zoo is easy to reach by public transport. I had read some sites saying that you need to take a train and then walk for half an hour, but the number 2 bus goes directly there from the city centre (the zoo is the terminal stop).
Photos are in the Japan Other gallery: start at this photo and use the left arrow to go through them.
Map-board at entrance - Hirakawa Zoo (Kagoshima) - ZooChat
..............................................................
MAMMALS:
The only really bad enclosures at the zoo are for the monkeys and bears. All the bears are in small moated grottos which would have been state of the art in the early 1970s but are now far too small. The primates are a bit of a mixed bag - there is a whole row of awful cages called "Monkeys of the World" which are devastatingly small, but then there are a couple of really big planted islands (for Siamang and Ring-tailed Lemurs), and the enclosures for Chimps and Orangutan aren't large but aren't tiny either.
The carnivores (apart for the bears) are all in reasonably-sized cages, most of which are planted. Those for the Leopards and Jaguars are very tall. Even the smaller mammals such as raccoons are in pretty good outside enclosures which isn't often the case (smaller mammals such as these are often kept in very small dark cages in Japanese zoos). The Californian Sealions are in the largest pinniped pool I have seen in a Japanese zoo.
The macropods are in a large walk-through enclosure, and the Koala House has loads of Koalas in compounds such as you'd see in any Australian zoo (except indoors).
Koala Phascolarctos cinereus
Bennett's Wallaby Notamacropus rufogriseus
Eastern Grey Kangaroo Macropus giganteus
Red Kangaroo Osphranter rufus
Egyptian Fruit Bat Rousettus aegyptiacus
Lesser (Senegal) Bushbaby Galago senegalensis
Ring-tailed Lemur Lemur catta
Black and White Ruffed Lemur Varecia variegata
Cottontop Tamarin Saguinus oedipus
Bolivian Squirrel Monkey Saimiri boliviensis
Tufted Capuchin Cebus apella
Geoffroy's (Black-handed ) Spider Monkey Ateles geoffroyi
Savannah Monkey Chlorocebus aethiops
Patas Monkey Erythrocebus patas
De Brazza's Monkey Cercopithecus neglectus
Hamadryas Baboon Papio hamadryas
Mandrill Mandrillus sphinx
Southern Pig-tailed Macaque Macaca nemestrina
Lion-tailed Macaque Macaca silenus
Japanese Macaque Macaca fuscata fuscata
Yakushima Macaque Macaca fuscata yakui
White-handed Gibbon Hylobates lar
Siamang Symphalangus syndactylus
Bornean Orangutan Pongo pygmaeus
Chimpanzee Pan troglodytes
*African Lion Panthera leo (cage occupied by a Timber Wolf)
White Tiger Panthera tigris
Black Leopard Panthera pardus
Black Jaguar Panthera onca
Mainland Leopard Cat Prionailurus bengalensis
Eastern Timber Wolf (signed as Canis lupus lycaon)
Japanese Red Fox Vulpes vulpes japonicus
Japanese Raccoon Dog Nyctereutes viverrinus
Bush Dog Speothos venaticus
Polar Bear Ursus maritimus
Hokkaido Brown Bear Ursus arctos lasiotis
Japanese Black Bear Ursus thibetanus japonicus
Red Panda Ailurus (fulgens) styani
*Japanese Badger Meles anakuma (cage was empty and looked long-disused)
Small-clawed Otter Aonyx cinereus
Binturong Arctictis binturong
Meerkat Suricata suricatta
Common Raccoon Procyon lotor
Kinkajou Potos flavus
Californian Sealion Zalophus californianus
Southern Three-banded Armadillo Tolypeutes matacus
Linne's Two-toed Sloth Choloepus didactylus
Indian Elephant Elephas maximus indicus
Plains Zebra Equus quagga
domestic Horse (Tokara Pony)
domestic Donkey
Brazilian Tapir Tapirus terrestris
Giraffe Giraffa camelopardalis (labeled as Masai Giraffes G. c. tippelskirchi)
Llama Lama glama
Common Hippopotamus Hippopotamus amphibius
Kyushu Wild Pig Sus scrofa leucomystax
domestic Sheep
domestic Goat
Barbary Sheep (Aoudad) Ammotragus lervia
Mageshima Sika Deer Cervus nippon mageshimae
Taiwan Sika Deer Cervus nippon taiouanus
*Sika Deer Cervus nippon (a third yard was just labeled with this name - i.e. no subspecies name - but I didn't see these ones)
Fallow Deer Dama dama (white)
Japanese Hare Lepus brachyurus brachyurus (did not see)
Amami Rabbit Pentalagus furnessi
domestic Rabbit
domestic Guinea Pig
Patagonian Mara Dolichotis patagonum
Capybara Hydrochoeris hydrochaeris
African Crested Porcupine Hystrix cristata
Japanese Giant Flying Squirrel Petaurista leucogenys leucogenys (did not see)
Black-tailed Prairie Dog Cynomys ludovicianus
Amami Spiny Rat Tokudaia osimensis (did not see)
..............................................................
BIRDS:
The crane aviaries (above) are very small, but most aviaries are a good size - the first two photos below are bird of prey aviaries, and the third is for Caribbean and Chilean Flamingoes.
There are two walk-through aviaries:
Ostrich Struthio camelus
Emu Dromaius novaehollandiae
Humboldt Penguin Spheniscus humboldti
White-tailed Eagle Haliaetus albicilla
Grey-faced Buzzard Butastur indicus
Black Kite Milvus migrans
King Vulture Sarcoramphus papa
Common Kestrel Falco tinnunculus
Ural Owl Strix uralensis
Indian Peafowl Pavo cristatus (blue and white forms)
Red Junglefowl Gallus gallus (did not see)
Chinese Bamboo Partridge Bambusicola thoracicus
Grey Crowned Crane Balearica regulorum
Blue Crane Anthropoides paradiseus
Demoiselle Crane Anthropoides virgo
White-naped Crane Antigone vipio
Common Crane Grus grus
Hooded Crane Grus monacha
Black-necked Crane Grus nigricollis
Red-crowned Crane Grus japonensis
Siberian Crane Grus leucogeranus
Sarus Crane Grus antigone
*Sandhill Crane Grus canadensis (signed but aviary empty)
*Wattled Crane Bugeranus carunculatus (signed but aviary empty)
Marabou Leptoptilos crumenifer
European White Stork Ciconia ciconia
Scarlet Ibis Eudocimus ruber
Greater Flamingo Phoenicopterus roseus
Caribbean Flamingo Phoenicopterus ruber
Chilean Flamingo Phoenicopterus chilensis
Black Swan Cygnus atratus
Egyptian Goose Alopochen aegyptiaca
domestic Duck
Eastern Spot-billed Duck Anas zonorhyncha
Mandarin Duck Aix galericulata
Galah Eolophus roseicapilla
Lidth's Jay Garrulus lidthi
..............................................................
REPTILES:
All the reptiles are housed in the Reptile / Nocturnal House. The terrariums are mostly a fair enough size, although very barren.
This one is for Japanese Rat Snakes.
The crocodilians, in contrast, do not get a lot of room.
American Alligator Alligator mississippiensis
Spectacled Caiman Caiman crocodilus
Alligator Snapping Turtle Macroochelys temminckii
Yellow-margined Box Turtle Cuora flavomarginata
Aldabra Tortoise Aldabrachelys gigantea
Radiated Tortoise Astrochelys radiata
Indian Star Tortoise Geochelone elegans
Horsfield's Tortoise Testudo horsfieldii
Red-footed Tortoise Chelonoidis carbonaria
Ryukyu Odd-toothed Snake Lycodon semicarinatus
Japanese Rat Snake Elaphe climacophora
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