JPG: Stories: Photo Essay: A Day at the Zoo

A Day at the Zoo

By Keith Graff

22 Sep 2008

As a kid, I always loved going to the zoo. I was fortunate in that when I was little, my family lived within walking distance of the municipal zoo. I was also fortunate in that at the time, it was one of the very best in the USA.

These days, I'm an expatriate living with my wife on a subtropical paradise whose main civilian industry is the tourist trade. Okinawa has perhaps one of the best aquariums in the whole world in the Churaumi Aquarium. In addition to the aquarium, they have several privately owned zoos that have been built for the benefit of the tourism trade as well as a host of petting zoos scattered across the island. They also have one municipally owned and operated zoo that due to a host of reasons has seen better days.

The children's zoo in centrally located Okinawa City is a huge place. In addition to the municipal zoo, the park hosts a children's interactive learning facility, a huge park with a manmade lake, paddle boats, and an amphitheatre capable of hosting concerts and shows. Once upon a time, it even had its very own amusement park complete with a Ferris wheel, rollercoaster and a host of thrill rides. Every year on Children's Day, a national holiday in Japan, they open the doors to the public free of charge. Additionally, every Christmas season, the whole park is decorated appropriate to the holiday season and opened in the evening hours so everyone can enjoy the holiday lights. During these two times of the year, the park actually lives up to its potential.

The rest of the year, the park and zoo are dismally disappointing. Attendance is extremely poor on the weekends and practically non-existent during the rest of the week. During the school summer vacation season, when attendance should be up, it's not. In part this is due to the oppressive heat and humidity here. Tourists and their families are more often than not, prefer to stay at a luxury resort and enjoy the first class amenities offered right at the hotel. Local people head for the air conditioned comfort of the shopping malls. Even opening the zoo during the evening hours when the temperatures are more agreeable hasn't helped.

The biggest problem with the Okinawa zoo is that a large part of the facility is rather old and as such, inadequate. Lions and tigers live in tiny cages and are almost invisible. Although the whole park is more than adequate in size, only a tiny portion of the facility is utilized by the zoo. It would be nice to see a greater effort to see the facility updated and expanded with new and spacious facilities for some of the more exotic animals such as those already mentioned.

Progress here is slow. On the plus side, the zoo now boasts a facility for some new Asian elephants and the giraffe area is huge. There is a new reptile house for all the snakes and an air conditioned elevator that makes the zoo, situated on a steep hillside, more accessible for the elderly as well as those who, due to no fault of their own, were previously unable to enjoy the facility.

Another plus side is a dedicated staff. We found everyone we encountered on our trip ready, willing and able to assist us. One young lady keeping the animals was especially accommodating. While busy with her tasks, she noticed our cameras and the problems we were having taking pictures through the mesh screens in the bird and bat house. As we were leaving, she ran after us with a Ryukyu Flying Fox that she raised from a baby. She brought it out of the cages and allowed us to photograph it in a more natural setting.

The really great thing about the Okinawa Children's Zoo is that it is so affordable. Admission for adults is only 500 Yen, about $4.50 U.S. Children can enter the park for 300 Yen with infants and toddlers being free of charge. For the price of one take out pizza, a family of four can enjoy several hours of quality time together so it's well worth the price of admission.