Tama Zoological Park, Metropolitan zoo in Hino, Japan
Tama Zoological Park is a zoo in Hino, Tokyo, built on the Tama Hills over 52 hectares, about four times the size of Ueno Zoo. Its exhibits are grouped by continent: Asian, African and Australian zones, plus an insectarium. The Orangutan Skywalk links enclosures with nine towers and wire ropes over roughly 154 metres.
Tama Zoological Park opened on 5 May 1958 as a branch of Ueno Zoo, on land in Hino donated by the village of Nanasawa; Keio Teito Electric Railway built the facilities and handed them to Tokyo. The 52-hectare site, about four times Ueno's, was laid out by biogeographic region with barrier-free open enclosures. The Lion Bus safari began in 1964, and the zoo later bred species such as the Indian rhinoceros (1973) and the mountain weasel (1987) for the first time in Japan or the world.
The park takes its name from the Tama region, which stretches west of Tokyo and is known for its wooded hills. Families visit often on weekends, and many bring picnics they enjoy on the lawns between enclosures.
The entrance sits directly beside a train station, so visitors arrive on foot without needing further transport. Paths are paved or firm, and it takes several hours to walk through all the sections.
One section hosts Przewalski's horses alongside Eurasian wolves, a pairing not found anywhere else. The animals share the same ground, separated only by natural barriers, recreating their original life communities.
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