Tennoji Zoo (Osaka, Japan): (2 March 2025)
Tennoji Zoo is a smallish (11 hectares) city zoo which opened in 1915. Some of the cages here are awfully small, but others are fine and the zoo is renovating or building new enclosures in several places.
For example there is a new sealion and penguin exhibit opened in 2023 which is very good indeed, especially for the penguins (both in terms of it being relatively larger than the sealion enclosure, and in it being a significant improvement over their old enclosure which can still be seen elsewhere in the zoo). I have put photos of the sealion enclosure from various angles in the zoo's gallery, but didn't take any photos of the new penguin enclosure because it was blocked off and the penguins were off display due to Bird Flu - the enclosure could still be seen easily in person but photos would have been obscured by the tarpaulins.
There are three major chunks of the zoo grounds which are currently blocked off for construction: the whole central section of the East Zoo (labeled as Asian Tropical Rain Forest on old maps - this is where elephants were formerly kept, but there are currently no elephants at the zoo); the lower section below that, for what looked like either a renovation of or a brand new chimpanzee enclosure; and the old petting zoo area which is on the right side of the West Zoo. The chimps are currently housed in a big ugly cage on the edge of where the petting zoo used to be - on the current map labeled as "Tentative Chimpanzee").
There are two entrance to the zoo. I came in the north gate, which is at the top of the East Zoo. On the right as you enter is the Friendship Garden which is the new petting zoo for domestic animals. The next exhibit is one of the best in the zoo, the enormous Flight Aviary (which can also be seen from outside the zoo grounds because it is at the edge of the zoo and there is a footpath running right alongside). Further along are the aforementioned sealion and penguin exhibits. Unfortunately, between the Flight Aviary and those good new exhibits are some truly awful bear enclosures - very small slabs of rock with dry moats in front for Sun and Spectacled Bears, and a larger but still very small one for a Polar Bear. Past the sealions and penguins are a set of really unpleasant primate cages. Hopefully the bear and primate areas are due for replacement in the future - these are probably the worst parts of the zoo, although some cages in the West Zoo are also not good at all.
The top left of the East Zoo has the old Koala House (now displaying Emu, Mara, and Aldabra Tortoise) and a Nocturnal House. This is also where the access to the West Zoo is, via a tunnel under the overhead pedestrian walkway which cuts the zoo in half. The Nocturnal House enclosures are larger than those at Ueno Zoo's but could do with being large in actuality and not just in comparative terms. The animals all seemed relaxed though and none were stereotyping as was the case with a number at Ueno.
The West Zoo has a lot more enclosures and species on show than the East Zoo, due to the entire central part of the latter being blocked with construction fencing. The highlight of this side of the zoo is the reptile house, called IFAR (the name being formed from the first letters of Invertebrates, Fish, Amphibians, and Reptiles), which opened in 1995 but looks like a new building inside and has very nice displays.
The larger part of the West Zoo is taken up with the African Savannah exhibit which opened in various stages (1997 for hippos, 1998 for rhinos, 2000 for the savannah, and 2006 for the carnivores). Overall this area is pretty good. The savannah is quite nice with Giraffe, Eland, and Zebra (and Marabou signed but not seen), but the hippo and carnivore enclosures are quite small.
The rest of the West Zoo is a mix of "okay" and "bad". The Red Panda enclosure is fine. There is a new World of Birds area (opened in 2023) where the aviaries are nice enough but quite small and bare. There are aviaries for cranes and birds of prey which are either okay or small. Then there are carnivore cages on the left edge (of the map) which are far too small and hopefully are scheduled for replacement.
As a whole the Tennoji Zoo is fairly good, especially given that it is over a century old. A lot of the zoo has been renovated over the last two decades or so, with development still ongoing, so it isn't unreasonable to expect the remaining bad parts of the zoo (i.e. the carnivore and primate cages) to disappear over the coming years.
Photos of enclosures in the zoo gallery: Tennōji Zoo - ZooChat
................................................................
There are (very surprisingly) no species lists on Zoochat for Tennoji Zoo.
Below is the full species list as seen on my visit. Note that several areas were blocked off for construction as noted earlier. By the Nocturnal House there was also construction on enclosures outside what used to be the Koala House, now housing Aldabra Tortoise, Mara, and Emu inside.
I have noted which species were off-display on my visit, and those which were on display but which I did not see in their enclosures.
MAMMALS:
Sugar Glider Petaurus breviceps
Brush-tailed Bettong Bettongia penicillata
Black and White Ruffed Lemur Varecia variegata
Pigmy Slow Loris Nycticebus pygmaeus (not seen)
Lesser (Senegal) Bushbaby Galago senegalensis
Tufted Capuchin Cebus apella
Francois' Langur Trachypithecus francoisi
Grivet Chlorocebus aethiops
De Brazza's Monkey Cercopithecus neglectus
Crab-eating Macaque Macaca fascicularis
Southern Pig-tailed Macaque Macaca nemestrina
Lion-tailed Macaque Macaca silenus
Drill Mandrillus leucophaeus
Siamang Symphalangus syndactylus
Common Chimpanzee Pan troglodytes
Egyptian Fruit Bat Rousettus aegyptiacus
African Lion Panthera leo
Siberian Tiger Panthera tigris altaica (off display or no longer at zoo)
Jaguar Panthera onca (spotted and black)
Chinese Wolf Canis lupus chanco
Japanese Red Fox Vulpes vulpes japonicus (off display)
Japanese Raccoon Dog Nyctereutes viverrinus
Polar Bear Ursus maritimus
Spectacled Bear Tremarctos ornatus
Sun Bear Helarctos malayanus (not seen)
Spotted Hyaena Crocuta crocuta
Chinese Red Panda Ailurus (fulgens) styani
Japanese Badger Meles anokuma
Masked Palm Civet Paguma larvata
Dwarf Mongoose Helogale parvula (not seen)
Kinkajou Potos flavus
Californian Sealion Zalophus californianus
Lesser Hedgehog Tenrec Echinops telfairi
Cape Rock Hyrax Procavia capensis (off display)
Black Rhinoceros Diceros bicornis
domestic Horse (Friendship Garden [Childrens Zoo]) [Noma Horse]
Grant's Zebra Equus quagga
domestic Goat (Friendship Garden [Childrens Zoo])
domestic Sheep (Friendship Garden [Childrens Zoo])
Reticulated Giraffe Giraffa (camelopardalis) reticulata
Common Hippopotamus Hippopotamus amphibius
Eland Taurotragus oryx
domestic Guinea Pig (Friendship Garden [Childrens Zoo])
Mara Dolichotis patagonum
BIRDS:
Emu Dromaius novaehollandiae
Humboldt Penguin Spheniscus humboldti (did not see - enclosure was blocked off)
Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo
Black-tailed Gull Larus crassirostris
Swan Goose Anser cygnoides
Mallard Anas platyrhynchos
Eastern Spot-billed Duck Anas zonorhyncha
Falcated Duck Anas falcata
Tufted Duck Aythya fuligula
Mandarin Duck Aix galericulata
Caribbean Flamingo Phoenicopterus ruber
Chilean Flamingo Phoenicopterus chilensis
Lesser Flamingo Phoeniconaias minor
Grey Heron Ardea cinerea
Little Egret Egretta garzetta
Black-crowned Night Heron Nycticorax nycticorax
Japanese Night Heron Gorsachius goisagi
Black-necked Stilt Himantopus mexicanus
Black-headed Ibis Threskiornis melanocephalus
Oriental White Stork Ciconia boyciana
European White Stork Ciconia ciconia
Marabou Leptoptilos crumenifer (in the Flight Aviary, and also signed on the African Savannah enclosure but I did not see them there)
Black-necked Crane Grus nigricollis
Red-crowned Crane Grus japonensis
Sarus Crane Grus antigone
Siberian Crane Grus leucogeranus
Hooded Crane Grus monacha
Demoiselle Crane Anthropoides virgo
Grey Crowned Crane Balearica regulorum (in the Flight Aviary and in the crane aviaries)
Common Kestrel Falco tinnunculus
Tawny Eagle Aquila rapax
Japanese Golden Eagle Aquila chrysaetos japonica
White-tailed Sea Eagle Haliaeetus albicilla (not seen - aviary looked empty)
Saker Falco cherrug
Andean Condor Vultur gryphus
Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture Cathartes burrovianus
Ural Owl Strix uralensis
Spectacled Owl Pulsatrix perspicillata
Eurasian Eagle Owl Bubo bubo
Snowy Owl Bubo scandiacus (on display in the empty indoor quarters of the tiger enclosure - their aviary in the World of Birds was empty)
Helmeted Guineafowl Numida meleagris
Vulturine Guineafowl Acryllium vulturinum (off display)
Japanese Green Pheasant Phasianus versicolor
Edward's Pheasant Lophura edwardsi
Himalayan Monal Lophophorus impejanus
Satyr Tragopan Tragopan satyra
Palawan Peacock-Pheasant Polyplectron napoleonis
Galah Eolophus roseicapilla
Greater Sulphur-crested Cockatoo Cacatua galerita
Oriental Turtle Dove Streptopelia orientalis
Common Kookaburra Dacelo novaeguineae
REPTILES:
American Alligator Alligator mississippiensis
Chinese Alligator Alligator sinensis
Red-eared Slider Trachemys scripta elegans
Japanese Pond Turtle Mauremys japonica
Reeves' Turtle Mauremys reevesii
Spotted Pond Turtle Geochlemys hamiltoni
Carolina Box Turtle Terrapene carolina
New Guinea Snake-necked Turtle Chelodina novaeguineae
Chinese Softshell Turtle Pelodiscus sinensis (off display)
Alligator Snapping Turtle Macrochelys temminckii
Radiated Tortoise Astrochelys radiata
Leopard Tortoise Stigmochelys pardalis
Indian Star Tortoise Geochelone elegans
Aldabra Tortoise Aldabrachelys gigantea
Ball Python Python regius
Burmese Python Python bivittatus
Kenyan Sand Boa Eryx colubrinus loveridgei
Green Iguana Iguana iguana
Chinese Crocodile Lizard Shinisaurus crocodilus
Panther Chameleon Furcifer pardalis
New Guinea Blue-tongue Skink Tiliqua gigas
Nile Monitor Varanus niloticus
Water Monitor Varanus salvator
Rosenberg's Monitor Varanus rosenbergi
Cobalt Tree Monitor Varanus macraei
AMPHIBIANS:
Japanese Stream Toad Bufo torrenticola
Cranwell's Horned Frog Ceratophrys cranwelli
Green Tree Frog Litoria caerulea
Japanese Fire-bellied Newt Cynops pyrrhogaster
Japanese Giant Salamander Andrias japonicus
FISH:
Common Carp Cyprinus carpio
Japanese Catfish Silurus asotus
Pond Loach Misgurnus anguillicaudatus
Pale Chubb Zacco platypus
Dark Chubb Zacco temminckii
Field Gudgeon Gnathopogon elongatus
Japanese Char Salvelinus (leucomaenis) pluvius
Red-spotted Masu Trout Oncorhynchus masou macrostomus
Tilapia sp. (in the hippo pool)
INVERTEBRATES:
Water Scorpion Laccotrephes japonensis (not seen)
Water Scorpion Lethrocerus deyrollei (not seen)
Diving Beetle Cybister chinensis (not seen)
Tennoji Zoo is a smallish (11 hectares) city zoo which opened in 1915. Some of the cages here are awfully small, but others are fine and the zoo is renovating or building new enclosures in several places.
For example there is a new sealion and penguin exhibit opened in 2023 which is very good indeed, especially for the penguins (both in terms of it being relatively larger than the sealion enclosure, and in it being a significant improvement over their old enclosure which can still be seen elsewhere in the zoo). I have put photos of the sealion enclosure from various angles in the zoo's gallery, but didn't take any photos of the new penguin enclosure because it was blocked off and the penguins were off display due to Bird Flu - the enclosure could still be seen easily in person but photos would have been obscured by the tarpaulins.
There are three major chunks of the zoo grounds which are currently blocked off for construction: the whole central section of the East Zoo (labeled as Asian Tropical Rain Forest on old maps - this is where elephants were formerly kept, but there are currently no elephants at the zoo); the lower section below that, for what looked like either a renovation of or a brand new chimpanzee enclosure; and the old petting zoo area which is on the right side of the West Zoo. The chimps are currently housed in a big ugly cage on the edge of where the petting zoo used to be - on the current map labeled as "Tentative Chimpanzee").
There are two entrance to the zoo. I came in the north gate, which is at the top of the East Zoo. On the right as you enter is the Friendship Garden which is the new petting zoo for domestic animals. The next exhibit is one of the best in the zoo, the enormous Flight Aviary (which can also be seen from outside the zoo grounds because it is at the edge of the zoo and there is a footpath running right alongside). Further along are the aforementioned sealion and penguin exhibits. Unfortunately, between the Flight Aviary and those good new exhibits are some truly awful bear enclosures - very small slabs of rock with dry moats in front for Sun and Spectacled Bears, and a larger but still very small one for a Polar Bear. Past the sealions and penguins are a set of really unpleasant primate cages. Hopefully the bear and primate areas are due for replacement in the future - these are probably the worst parts of the zoo, although some cages in the West Zoo are also not good at all.
The top left of the East Zoo has the old Koala House (now displaying Emu, Mara, and Aldabra Tortoise) and a Nocturnal House. This is also where the access to the West Zoo is, via a tunnel under the overhead pedestrian walkway which cuts the zoo in half. The Nocturnal House enclosures are larger than those at Ueno Zoo's but could do with being large in actuality and not just in comparative terms. The animals all seemed relaxed though and none were stereotyping as was the case with a number at Ueno.
The West Zoo has a lot more enclosures and species on show than the East Zoo, due to the entire central part of the latter being blocked with construction fencing. The highlight of this side of the zoo is the reptile house, called IFAR (the name being formed from the first letters of Invertebrates, Fish, Amphibians, and Reptiles), which opened in 1995 but looks like a new building inside and has very nice displays.
The larger part of the West Zoo is taken up with the African Savannah exhibit which opened in various stages (1997 for hippos, 1998 for rhinos, 2000 for the savannah, and 2006 for the carnivores). Overall this area is pretty good. The savannah is quite nice with Giraffe, Eland, and Zebra (and Marabou signed but not seen), but the hippo and carnivore enclosures are quite small.
The rest of the West Zoo is a mix of "okay" and "bad". The Red Panda enclosure is fine. There is a new World of Birds area (opened in 2023) where the aviaries are nice enough but quite small and bare. There are aviaries for cranes and birds of prey which are either okay or small. Then there are carnivore cages on the left edge (of the map) which are far too small and hopefully are scheduled for replacement.
As a whole the Tennoji Zoo is fairly good, especially given that it is over a century old. A lot of the zoo has been renovated over the last two decades or so, with development still ongoing, so it isn't unreasonable to expect the remaining bad parts of the zoo (i.e. the carnivore and primate cages) to disappear over the coming years.
Photos of enclosures in the zoo gallery: Tennōji Zoo - ZooChat
................................................................
There are (very surprisingly) no species lists on Zoochat for Tennoji Zoo.
Below is the full species list as seen on my visit. Note that several areas were blocked off for construction as noted earlier. By the Nocturnal House there was also construction on enclosures outside what used to be the Koala House, now housing Aldabra Tortoise, Mara, and Emu inside.
I have noted which species were off-display on my visit, and those which were on display but which I did not see in their enclosures.
MAMMALS:
Sugar Glider Petaurus breviceps
Brush-tailed Bettong Bettongia penicillata
Black and White Ruffed Lemur Varecia variegata
Pigmy Slow Loris Nycticebus pygmaeus (not seen)
Lesser (Senegal) Bushbaby Galago senegalensis
Tufted Capuchin Cebus apella
Francois' Langur Trachypithecus francoisi
Grivet Chlorocebus aethiops
De Brazza's Monkey Cercopithecus neglectus
Crab-eating Macaque Macaca fascicularis
Southern Pig-tailed Macaque Macaca nemestrina
Lion-tailed Macaque Macaca silenus
Drill Mandrillus leucophaeus
Siamang Symphalangus syndactylus
Common Chimpanzee Pan troglodytes
Egyptian Fruit Bat Rousettus aegyptiacus
African Lion Panthera leo
Siberian Tiger Panthera tigris altaica (off display or no longer at zoo)
Jaguar Panthera onca (spotted and black)
Chinese Wolf Canis lupus chanco
Japanese Red Fox Vulpes vulpes japonicus (off display)
Japanese Raccoon Dog Nyctereutes viverrinus
Polar Bear Ursus maritimus
Spectacled Bear Tremarctos ornatus
Sun Bear Helarctos malayanus (not seen)
Spotted Hyaena Crocuta crocuta
Chinese Red Panda Ailurus (fulgens) styani
Japanese Badger Meles anokuma
Masked Palm Civet Paguma larvata
Dwarf Mongoose Helogale parvula (not seen)
Kinkajou Potos flavus
Californian Sealion Zalophus californianus
Lesser Hedgehog Tenrec Echinops telfairi
Cape Rock Hyrax Procavia capensis (off display)
Black Rhinoceros Diceros bicornis
domestic Horse (Friendship Garden [Childrens Zoo]) [Noma Horse]
Grant's Zebra Equus quagga
domestic Goat (Friendship Garden [Childrens Zoo])
domestic Sheep (Friendship Garden [Childrens Zoo])
Reticulated Giraffe Giraffa (camelopardalis) reticulata
Common Hippopotamus Hippopotamus amphibius
Eland Taurotragus oryx
domestic Guinea Pig (Friendship Garden [Childrens Zoo])
Mara Dolichotis patagonum
BIRDS:
Emu Dromaius novaehollandiae
Humboldt Penguin Spheniscus humboldti (did not see - enclosure was blocked off)
Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo
Black-tailed Gull Larus crassirostris
Swan Goose Anser cygnoides
Mallard Anas platyrhynchos
Eastern Spot-billed Duck Anas zonorhyncha
Falcated Duck Anas falcata
Tufted Duck Aythya fuligula
Mandarin Duck Aix galericulata
Caribbean Flamingo Phoenicopterus ruber
Chilean Flamingo Phoenicopterus chilensis
Lesser Flamingo Phoeniconaias minor
Grey Heron Ardea cinerea
Little Egret Egretta garzetta
Black-crowned Night Heron Nycticorax nycticorax
Japanese Night Heron Gorsachius goisagi
Black-necked Stilt Himantopus mexicanus
Black-headed Ibis Threskiornis melanocephalus
Oriental White Stork Ciconia boyciana
European White Stork Ciconia ciconia
Marabou Leptoptilos crumenifer (in the Flight Aviary, and also signed on the African Savannah enclosure but I did not see them there)
Black-necked Crane Grus nigricollis
Red-crowned Crane Grus japonensis
Sarus Crane Grus antigone
Siberian Crane Grus leucogeranus
Hooded Crane Grus monacha
Demoiselle Crane Anthropoides virgo
Grey Crowned Crane Balearica regulorum (in the Flight Aviary and in the crane aviaries)
Common Kestrel Falco tinnunculus
Tawny Eagle Aquila rapax
Japanese Golden Eagle Aquila chrysaetos japonica
White-tailed Sea Eagle Haliaeetus albicilla (not seen - aviary looked empty)
Saker Falco cherrug
Andean Condor Vultur gryphus
Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture Cathartes burrovianus
Ural Owl Strix uralensis
Spectacled Owl Pulsatrix perspicillata
Eurasian Eagle Owl Bubo bubo
Snowy Owl Bubo scandiacus (on display in the empty indoor quarters of the tiger enclosure - their aviary in the World of Birds was empty)
Helmeted Guineafowl Numida meleagris
Vulturine Guineafowl Acryllium vulturinum (off display)
Japanese Green Pheasant Phasianus versicolor
Edward's Pheasant Lophura edwardsi
Himalayan Monal Lophophorus impejanus
Satyr Tragopan Tragopan satyra
Palawan Peacock-Pheasant Polyplectron napoleonis
Galah Eolophus roseicapilla
Greater Sulphur-crested Cockatoo Cacatua galerita
Oriental Turtle Dove Streptopelia orientalis
Common Kookaburra Dacelo novaeguineae
REPTILES:
American Alligator Alligator mississippiensis
Chinese Alligator Alligator sinensis
Red-eared Slider Trachemys scripta elegans
Japanese Pond Turtle Mauremys japonica
Reeves' Turtle Mauremys reevesii
Spotted Pond Turtle Geochlemys hamiltoni
Carolina Box Turtle Terrapene carolina
New Guinea Snake-necked Turtle Chelodina novaeguineae
Chinese Softshell Turtle Pelodiscus sinensis (off display)
Alligator Snapping Turtle Macrochelys temminckii
Radiated Tortoise Astrochelys radiata
Leopard Tortoise Stigmochelys pardalis
Indian Star Tortoise Geochelone elegans
Aldabra Tortoise Aldabrachelys gigantea
Ball Python Python regius
Burmese Python Python bivittatus
Kenyan Sand Boa Eryx colubrinus loveridgei
Green Iguana Iguana iguana
Chinese Crocodile Lizard Shinisaurus crocodilus
Panther Chameleon Furcifer pardalis
New Guinea Blue-tongue Skink Tiliqua gigas
Nile Monitor Varanus niloticus
Water Monitor Varanus salvator
Rosenberg's Monitor Varanus rosenbergi
Cobalt Tree Monitor Varanus macraei
AMPHIBIANS:
Japanese Stream Toad Bufo torrenticola
Cranwell's Horned Frog Ceratophrys cranwelli
Green Tree Frog Litoria caerulea
Japanese Fire-bellied Newt Cynops pyrrhogaster
Japanese Giant Salamander Andrias japonicus
FISH:
Common Carp Cyprinus carpio
Japanese Catfish Silurus asotus
Pond Loach Misgurnus anguillicaudatus
Pale Chubb Zacco platypus
Dark Chubb Zacco temminckii
Field Gudgeon Gnathopogon elongatus
Japanese Char Salvelinus (leucomaenis) pluvius
Red-spotted Masu Trout Oncorhynchus masou macrostomus
Tilapia sp. (in the hippo pool)
INVERTEBRATES:
Water Scorpion Laccotrephes japonensis (not seen)
Water Scorpion Lethrocerus deyrollei (not seen)
Diving Beetle Cybister chinensis (not seen)
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