The Tennoji Zoo opened in January 1915 as the third zoo in Japan. It has remained popular ever since then with citizens as a place for recreation, culture and learning. Having expanded considerably over the years, the zoo currently houses about 1,000 animals of 230 different types in an area of about 11 hectares. As a welcome oasis in the midst of the metropolis of Osaka, the zoo now attracts more than 1.5 million visitors annually.
The Tennoji Zoo, in addition to reproducing as closely as possible the original habitats and environments of animals, also serves as a kind of ?gecological exhibition?h to introduce to the public how these animals live.
The opening of a Reptile House in 1995 was followed by the opening of a Hippo House, Rhino House and Herbivorous Animal Area in the African Savanna Zone, as well as an Elephant House in the Asian Tropical Rainforest Zone. The zoo?fs African Savanna Zone was completed in September 2006 with the opening of a Carnivorous Animal Area, bringing carnivorous and herbivorous creatures together under one environment, almost as if they were back on the African continent.
