Arya News - This marks the first time in eight years that the zoo has housed elephants. Covering about 6,600sqm — about three times the size of the previous facility — it includes stabling where the elephants stay, a field, a bathing pool, and a sandpit.
TOKYO – A new facility called Elephant Village was completed at Osaka Tennoji Zoo in Tennoji Ward in Osaka in the spring, featuring ideas designed to allow elephants to live like their counterparts in the wild.
The Elephant Village boasts one of the largest areas for elephants in the country.
The facility was built to accommodate three Asian elephants from Malaysia.
This marks the first time in eight years that the zoo has housed elephants. Covering about 6,600 square meters — about three times the size of the previous facility — it includes stabling where the elephants stay, a field, a bathing pool and a sandpit.
The three elephants are male Kelat, estimated to be 20 years old, and females Dara and Amoi, estimated be 14 and 10 years old, respectively.
At the Elephant Village, corn stalks and other favorite treats of the elephants are hidden in rocky areas in the field or in holes in the walls that are just wide enough for the tips of their trunks to go through. This is intended to elicit the animal’s natural behavior since wild elephants spend most of their waking hours searching for food.
The favorite foods of elephants are also suspended from the end of a crane that rises and lowers at set times. This is designed to allow the elephants to strengthen their neck muscles through eating, just as wild elephants do through feeding on the branches and leaves of tall trees.
“We built the environment so that the three elephants can enjoy foraging while maintaining their health,” said Takakazu Imanishi, a 64-year-old veterinarian at the zoo.
The whole area for the elephants, including the stabling, is covered with a thick layer of sand. This not only reduces the strain on their legs but also allows them to dig, play or lie down there.
These efforts, which thoroughly prioritize the well-being of elephants, are in line with the idea of animal welfare that requires keeping animals in a comfortable environment that minimizes their pain or stress as much as possible.
The zoo incorporated this idea particularly because it has a very long history with elephants. It started in 1915 when the zoo opened and took in an elephant that had been kept by a circus in central Osaka.
The zoo kept two elephants during World War II, but they died from malnutrition and illness. In 1950, the zoo welcomed elephant Haruko who became popular among visitors, bringing hope to the people of Osaka as they began to recover after the war.
“Thanks to the zoo’s history, it has made it get to where it is today,” Imanishi said. “I want as many people as possible to see the elephants living vibrantly.”
Osaka Tennoji Zoo
The zoo is open from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. It is closed on Mondays (or the following day when a Monday falls on a national holiday). Admission is ¥800 for adults, ¥200 for elementary and junior high school students from outside Osaka City, and free for elementary and junior high school students from the city.
Detour / Atmosphere of Showa era
About 100 meters west from the zoo, there is the Janjan Yokocho alley in the Shinsekai entertainment district, which bustles with kushikatsu (deep-fried skewered meat) restaurants, izakaya pubs and other shops.
The 180-meter-long, 2.5-meter-wide arcade is thronged with people of all ages, from adults to children, and it evokes the atmosphere of the Showa era (1926-1989). It also features spots where people can enjoy popular pastimes like shooting galleries.
The arcade’s official name is Nanyodori shopping street. It is said to have earned its Janjan nickname after the end of World War II as street performers, known as nagashi, played shamisen with a “janjan” sound and sang to liven up the street.
In recent years, many foreign tourists have been visiting the area. Kojiro Onishi, 75, who runs a tobacco shop, said, “We used to have a lot of working-class customers, but things have changed dramatically over the past decade or so. I hope people from overseas will also enjoy the atmosphere of Japan of a bygone era.”
Something to try / Pudding made with old-style recipe
Pudding made with an old-style recipe can be enjoyed at Kissa Tamaichi, a kissaten cafe in the Shinsekai district.
A soda float, right, and homemade pudding served at Kissa Tamaichi café.
The shop was founded in 1928 and is now run by Koki Higashida, 58, the third-generation owner.
Homemade pudding, priced at ¥600, is a menu item that was introduced during Higashida’s father’s time. It is steamed for about 45 minutes in molds until it is firm before being topped with sauce made by caramelizing sugar.
A soda float, priced at ¥680, is another popular item on the menu. The color of the soda is green but can be changed to red or blue as requested by using a different syrup.
The cafe is open from 9:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. and closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.