NIPPONIA No. 39 December 15, 2006
Japan's Northernmost Zoo a Big Hit
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Left: Look through the transparent dome at the Polar Bear Aquatic Park, and you might see a bear up close—a startling experience that will make you glad you are not a seal, a favorite food for polar bears. Below: When a polar bears flops into the water he is very close to visitors, although on the other side of the glass.  |
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One item on the menu at Macaque (Monkey) Mountain is honey. The keepers stick it on the glass for monkeys to lick during mogumogu taimu (munch time).
And then there is the Chimpanzee Forest, newly opened in August 2006. An aerial tunnel for people passes through the forest, 5 meters above the ground. It is covered in acrylic glass to let you see the tree residents up close, swinging on ropes, holding their children, doing whatever chimps do.
The zoo's vice president, Bando Gen, explains why a zoo should be constructed from the animals' perspective. "If you give animals the right amount of stimulation and a habitat that lets them use their intelligence, they become naturally lively. Before we built this natural area our chimps were in a cage, and when I went in front of it they would make a racket, throw water and spit at me, obviously wary. But just a few days after they moved to this more natural environment they stopped trying to intimidate us. Before, they would never show us their children, but that's changed too. It must be because they have plenty of room and can climb up high — the space and height gives them a feeling of reassurance and independence. The same thing goes for the other animals, too, of course."
"In the Chimpanzee Forest, the visitors are in a confined space while the chimps roam free. But even in that confinement you can get a good view of them. A zoo should be designed not for the convenience of people but to show off the true nature of the animals," says the zoo's vice president, Bando Gen (top right). Chimpanzees (above) come right up close to the aerial tunnel (bottom right).
