Kushiro Zoo, Zoo in Kushiro, Japan.
Kushiro Zoo opened in 1975 on 47.8 hectares in Akan, Kushiro, making it Hokkaido's largest zoo and Japan's easternmost. Its entrance is a low white building with a flat roof, a blue band painted with white clouds and a bird silhouette, and a sign reading "Kushiro Zoo main entrance" beside white turnstiles between red and green posts.
The zoo opened on October 1, 1975 and became an important wildlife center in the Hokkaido region. Its establishment created a place to make the local animal life accessible to the public.
The Hokkaido Zone introduces visitors to regional wildlife such as brown bears, Blakiston's fish owls, and Japanese flying squirrels. This section gives a sense of what the natural animal life of Hokkaido looks like in a park setting.
The zoo maintains different seasonal schedules, opening from 9:30 AM to 4:30 PM during summer months and from 10:00 AM to 3:30 PM in winter. Visitors should plan to arrive early on weekends when the parking area fills up, so a weekday visit may be easier.
In 1995 Kushiro Zoo became the first facility in the world to breed Blakiston's fish owl in captivity, and it is now Japan's only Blakiston's fish owl conservation and breeding centre. The bird, called shimafukurō in Japanese, is one of the world's largest owls and depends on fish-rich rivers in eastern Hokkaido.
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