Yagiyama Zoological Park — Attraction in Sendai

The quality of enclosures is a mixed bag. The macaque area is very large and accommodating with a lot of space for the animals as well as plenty of toys and enrichment. It is easily the best enclosure in the park. Other exhibits like the black bear, reptiles, and red panda ones are adequately sized with some form of enrichment. The other primate enclosures are a bit small and cramped, but most have some form of climbing equipment to keep the animals from getting too bored. There are some animal enclosures split into 2 parts (one indoors, one outdoors) and while the outdoor ones have more space, the indoor enclosure for animals like the giraffes is always depressingly small. The capybara indoor area had four of them in a small section, and the water they were swimming in and drinking from was filled with their feces. Easily the worst area was the polar bear enclosure. One bear was sleeping and didn't show any signs of neglect or stress, but the other was constantly pacing and engaging in repetitive behavior while drooling excessively and showing other signs of animal distress (vocalizing, pacing around the enclosure, panting). If you're going to house an animal like a polar bear, you HAVE to accommodate their needs: plenty of space, ice/fans to regulate the temperature when it's too warm for them, a large enclosure, and lots of enrichment. It was heartbreaking seeing that poor creature in...

I really enjoyed my time here and felt that, even during golden week, there was ample space to navigate the zoo. There was no wait when I entered and it is connected to the station. It was a bit crowded in restaurants so I would recommend bringing a snack or two. The gift shop was small but well stocked and reasonably priced, and food wasn't too expensive. There are a number of shaded areas near exclosures to enjoy without getting too hot, but there is a number of hills so bring some good walking shoes.

My biggest concern is the well-being of the animals. Many of the cages were too small, crowded, or dirty. It was a very hot day and there was limited space and shade for the animals to relax. The giraffe could barely turn around in its enclosure. It was a very good price to visit, and I spent about 3 hours here, but I'm not sure that I would go again or recommend it. There are a number of animal-related activities and cafes in Sendai that do a better job of caring for...

There are some amazing parts of this zoo, and some worrying parts.

The general areas are well kept and there’s some amazing planting and structuring done for most animals.

There’s a nice cafe and everything to check in and every interaction we had with staff was excellent.

There are some honestly woefully sized areas for some of the animals, though. The apes have what are realistically tiny cages. It’s no wonder they got quite unhappy and rowdy at one point.

There were large birds like eagles in cages that would normally be reserved for small birds. This surely can’t be okay for them.

Again, most of the enclosures were close to or appropriately sized for a zoo. They’re doing quite a bit of work at present, and nearly a quarter of the zoo is being worked on. Hopefully this space is for some of the animals whose enclosures are currently terrible.

Again, lots of great things about the zoo, but I was a bit shocked by some of the spaces...