yokohama echo

Welcome to ZOORASIA

The name Zoorasia was chosen from 3,188 suggestions by Yokohama citizens. It combines the words "zoo" and "Eurasia" to express a feeling of spaciousness and the international nature of the zoo and Yokohama itself.

Life-coexistence and balance with nature

Zoorasia, thankfully, is a far cry from the image of cages, concrete and sad-looking animals of many zoos. Its theme is "life-coexistence and balance with nature" and in line with this, the zoo has been designed to replicate the animals' natural habitats. Thus a stroll around the grounds will take you through different "climate zones" — areas where the architecture and landscape have been painstakingly recreated to resemble the various regions of the world that the animals usually inhabit.

The visitor's journey begins in the Asian Tropical Forest where one will find Indian Elephants amongst the lush undergrowth. A noticeable change in fauna signals one's entrance into the Subarctic Forest. Special fir trees have been chosen to resemble the animals' indigenous habitats but which can also survive in the climate of Yokohama. Here one finds Red Pandas, a Polar Bear, Yezo Arctic Hares and other animals originally from colder climes. One of the special characteristics of the zoo is its variety of viewpoints; this is a particularly good feature for animals such as the Eurasian Otters and Humboldt Penguins because one can watch them swim from the underwater viewpoint.

The zoo's course then takes the visitor through the Oceanic Grassland, where one can watch the activities of Red Kangaroos and Emu from the window of the adjacent restaurant. Golden Snub-nosed Monkeys from China inhabit the Central Asian Highland, the next "zone" before ones reaches the Japanese Countryside where one can see the Asiatic Black Bear, Red Fox, Japanese Macaque and Oriental White Stork. The circumnavigation is complete with a journey through the Inca-style Amazon Jungle, visiting the Giant Anteaters, Ocelots and Woolly Monkeys along the way.

Preserving endangered animals

Many of Zoorasia's animals are extremely rare. Another of the zoo's special characteristics is that it exhibits mostly endangered species. Zoorasia is very proud to present the Indian Lion and the Okapi (an ancestor of the giraffe), which will both be on view for the first time ever in Japan. In addition to the "climate zones", the zoo has also set up a breeding centre — the first full-scale facility in Japan dedicated to conservation efforts. Here, there is a hospital for the medical treatment of animals and breeding facilities for the preservation and breeding of endangered species such as Kagu, Bali Mynah and Tapirs. There are only four kinds of Tapirs in the world and Zoorasia is planning to breed all of them.

Zoorasia plans to have 1,500 animals in the future and already zoological parks in Yokohama's sister cities have been extremely helpful with the acquisition of animals. For example, the Okapi, Rothschild's Mynah and Lion-Tailed Macaque come from San Diego, Indian Elephants and Indian Lions from Mumbai and the Golden Snub-nosed Monkey and Golden Takin from Shanghai.

Fun and educational

All in all, Zoorasia is both a fun and rewarding experience — educational and entertaining for children and adults. For the surprisingly small admission fee it offers the chance to see 59 species (315 animals in total) in their recreated natural habitats, safe in the knowledge that every effort is being made to preserve their existence.

Zoorasia is open everyday from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (6 p.m. during the summer). Closed on Tuesdays during the autumn and winter seasons. Admission: Adult ¥600; high school ¥300; elemen-tary/junior high ¥200. For more information, TEL 045-959-1000 (Japanese) or visit the website at

http://www.city.yokohama.jp/me/ygf/zoorasia/index.html

To get there: Bus to the zoo runs from Tsurugamine Sta. and Mitsukyo Sta. on the Sotetsu Line and JR Nakayama Sta. Parking space for 1,500 vehicles are available.

Nigel Hilditch

Yokohama Association for International Communications and Exchanges(YOKE)

Yokohama City(Japan)

Yokohama Association for International Communications and Exchanges

Copyright(C) 1999. YOKE. All Rights Reserved.