Hirakawa Zoo

As you pass through the main gate of Africa Park, you will see a beautiful panorama of Sakurajima Island and Kinko Bay. There, you can see herds of giraffes, zebras, rhinos, ostriches, and other animals. The park also has a footbath where visitors can relax while gazing at the animals and Sakurajima. By soaking in the footbath, visitors can enjoy the tropical atmosphere of Kagoshima to their heart’s content.

This animal park is surrounded by nature, and visitors can observe the ecology of animals and interact with them while having fun. In addition, the facilities are maintained and operated under the basic concept of “an animal park where visitors can enjoy learning and playing” so that they can learn about the importance of nature conservation and animal welfare.

Facilities and Breeding Animals

In the African grassland zone, animals such as Egyptian geese, European flamingos, hippos, Masai giraffes, Chapman’s zebras, southern white rhinoceroses, ostriches, and eastern white rhinoceroses are kept.

The Wild Dogs and Cats Zone is home to black jaguars, timber wolves, Bengal tigers, white tigers, lions, Bengal wild cats, and yaks.

The World Bear Zone is home to Japanese black bears, Malay bears, Ezo brown bears, polar bears, California sea lions, dusky spoonbills, Koshibeni pelicans, and more.

In the Indian Forest Zone, visitors can see Indian elephants, Indian peacocks, white peacocks, bintongs, muntjacs, and Barbary sheep.

In the deer exhibit area, there are dama deer, culex deer, maguey deer, and huana deer.

The South American Nature (Grasslands) Zone is home to capybaras, chilly flamingos, saffron flamingos, Brazilian tapirs, maras, llamas, and other animals.

The World Monkey Zone is home to orangutans, chimpanzees, white rhesus macaques, Abyssinia colobus, shishio monkeys, patas monkeys, mandrills, Japanese monkeys, fubar macaques, ring-tailed lemurs, black rhesus macaques, and black theenons.

The Kagoshima Animal Zone (opened in the spring of 2013) has elusive flying foxes, Japanese badgers, Japanese wild boars, foxes, raccoons, musasabis, civet rabbits, horned owls, and Lidth’s jays.

In the Mysterious Animal Zone (opened in spring 2013), white-tailed eagles, crested condors, Aldabra giant tortoises, Egyptian lesser horseshoe bats, Shogarago, Mississippi alligators, African pythons, snapping turtles, alligator snapping turtles, spectacled caimans, Hondo martens, and Houshia tortoises are kept. The Australian Garden and Koala House

In the Australia Park and Koala House, red kangaroos, emus, giant kangaroos, koalas, Bennett’s red-clawed wallabies, and koalas can be seen.

In the Fureai Land, raccoons, prairie dogs, Humboldt penguins, Tokara horses, Tokara goats, meerkats, donkeys, and otters can be seen.

The South American Nature (Forest) Zone (to be developed in 2013) will include flying sloths, squirrel monkeys, cotton-top pansies, and kinkajous.

Flying cages will be used for breeding Shoebill, Mandarin ducks, and Duck ducks.

The World Crane Zone (scheduled to open in the fall of 2014) will house red pandas, whooping cranes, whooping cranes, whooping cranes, sodexer cranes, manna cranes, sandhill cranes, whooping cranes, black cranes, whooping cranes, white-crowned cranes, and red-crowned cranes.

There are various areas such as the Shobuen, the Children’s Animal Library, and the Recreation Plaza. The amusement park also has large playground equipment, a merry-go-round, a Ferris wheel, go-carts, a chain tower, a flying tower, and a mirror house. The park also preserves JNR C57 steam locomotive No. 151 and Kagoshima City Transportation Bureau’s 500 class No. 510. From the elevated location of the amusement park, visitors can enjoy beautiful views of the park and Sakurajima.