Ueno Zoo; July 18, 2010

I like visiting  zoos and aquariums. Today, I visited Ueno Zoo.

It is the nation’s oldest and most famous zoo. It has about 500 species and 3000 individual animals and birds, according to its pamphlet.

It was my first visit of the zoo in about four years. Many things have changed.

Good developments:


(1)The cages of sea lions, hippopotamuses, pigmy hipos have remarkably improved.

The front walls of the cages have been changed from concrete walls to transparent plastic boards. Visitors can dirctly watch how the animals swim in the water.

Many children as well as their parents were enjoying observing the motions of the animals.

(2) New exhibition facilities have been built.

They include a house for aye-eyes and small mammals (tarsier, mice etc.). A new house for crocodiles, turtles, frogs ana other animals in the water area has also been built.

Animals such as giraffe, rhino and monkeys were popular as usual. Meerkat also attracted many visitors.

There were many water birds in the Shinobazu Pond, which is also a part of the zoo. The pond was covered with large leaves of lotus. It was amazing.

Map: Ueno Zoo