Ikeda Zoo, Zoo at Mount Kyō, Kita-ku, Japan

Ikeda Zoo is a private zoo in Okayama that opened in 1953 as Ikeda Sangyō Dōbutsuen and took its current name in 1960. Most of the grounds lie on the slopes of Mount Kyō, and about 90 species and 450 animals are kept there, including giraffes, red pandas, Magellanic penguins and ring-tailed lemurs. A relocated old farmhouse, the Okayama Minzoku-kan, displays farming tools and furniture.

Ikeda Zoo opened on 14 February 1953 as Ikeda Sangyō Dōbutsuen, founded by Ikeda Takamasa, grandson of the former Okayama domain lord, and his wife Atsuko, fourth daughter of Emperor Shōwa. It was registered as a company in 1958 and took its current name in 1960. In 1986 it exchanged animals with Xi'an Zoo, receiving red pandas, and in 1988 it showed giant pandas for three months to mark the Seto Bridge opening.

The zoo keeps goats, chicks and flamingos that visitors may touch, and the Okayama Folk Museum, a relocated old private house on the grounds, displays farming tools and furniture. Seasonal events such as a night zoo and Christmas concerts are held for limited periods.

The grounds open from 9:30 AM to 5:00 PM between April and October, and close at 4:30 PM from November through March. Visitors should wear comfortable shoes as the terrain includes several hills and some paths can be steep.

The American alligator Shippy, which died of old age in 1999, was estimated to be over 70 years old, the longest-lived alligator in Japan and the first crocodilian imported into the country. He measured about 3.3 m long with a girth of roughly 1.3 m, making him the largest in Japan as well.