Miyazaki City Phoenix Natural Zoo is located in Miyazaki City, Miyazaki Prefecture, next to Phoenix Seagaia Resort. It is a popular destination for both local residents and tourists, offering opportunities to encounter a wide variety of animals and enjoy the natural environment.
The zoo’s animal exhibition areas provide habitats designed to resemble natural environments. Visitors can observe many different species at close range and see how the animals live and interact with their surroundings.
The mammals kept at the zoo include Asian elephants, Maasai giraffes, Sumatran tigers, red pandas, chimpanzees, mandrills, ring-tailed lemurs, capybaras, Bolivian squirrel monkeys, meerkats, maras, Parma wallabies, Cape penguins, Eurasian otters, Geoffroy’s spider monkeys, miniature ponies, donkeys, red kangaroos, ostriches, and Grant’s zebras.
The bird collection includes American flamingos, Indian peafowl, saddle-billed storks, black storks, white-naped cranes, painted storks, pink pelicans, laughing kookaburras, trumpeter hornbills, black-winged pigeons, Chinese bamboo partridges, and several varieties of Satsuma chickens, including white sasa, red sasa, and all-black varieties.
Other birds include Nagoya chickens, copper pheasants, guinea pigs, call ducks, Japanese night herons, European geese, Muscovy ducks, Hawaiian geese, broad-billed herons, African spoonbills, scarlet ibises, lesser flamingos, European flamingos, Chilean flamingos, owls, and falcons.
Reptiles at the zoo include alligator snapping turtles and African spurred tortoises.
Other animals include long-eared goats, goats crossed with Tokara goats, emus, sika deer, Kyushu deer (Japanese deer), raccoon dogs, and llamas.
The zoo also has an amusement park area featuring 15 types of rides and attractions. These include Mad Mouse, Paraglider, Fairy-Tale Train, a merry-go-round, Sky Balloon, Swan Cup, Fuafua, Super Dumbo, Sky Tower, go-karts, Honey Hatch, Surprise House, Space Dragon, Clown Train, and a monorail.
There are restaurant and shopping areas within the zoo, allowing visitors to take a break, enjoy a meal, or purchase souvenirs. According to the original facility information, the restaurants operate from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., while the shops operate from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
The zoo also has a popular water-play area for families. Facilities include a 200-meter lazy river, three water slides, and a children’s pool with a small slide. The original page states that these pool facilities can be used with the zoo admission ticket alone.
A variety of animal-related events are held mainly on weekends and public holidays. These activities give visitors opportunities to learn about animals and, in some cases, interact with them.
Visitors can experience riding an Asian elephant and enjoy a leisurely view from the elephant’s back.
This popular event allows visitors to take a walk alongside an elephant and have their photograph taken with the animal. It offers a memorable opportunity to get close to one of the zoo’s largest residents.
At the small-animal interaction area, visitors can meet animals such as meerkats and rabbits. The opportunity to observe these animals up close is especially appealing to younger visitors.
Keepers provide guided explanations of chimpanzee behavior and biology. Visitors can learn about the animals’ intelligence and observe their distinctive actions.
During feeding events, visitors can watch various animals eating at close range. The events also introduce the different feeding habits of each species and the foods they prefer.
A group of goats walks together through the zoo in this lively event. Watching the animals move along in a friendly procession is particularly entertaining for children.
In this spectacular show, brightly colored flamingos fly around the zoo. According to the original page, the show is suspended from July through September and takes place during the other months.
Pony rides are offered on Sundays and public holidays and are especially popular with children. The original page notes that this activity is suspended from July through September and is scheduled to resume during the other part of the year.
The zoo first opened on March 24, 1971, under the name Phoenix Natural Zoo. It was the first zoo in Miyazaki Prefecture and attracted attention as Japan’s first ecological zoo to introduce mixed-species housing for wild animals.
The flamingo show became popular soon after the zoo opened. In 2012, it was renewed as the Flying Flamingo Show, continuing a tradition that has long been one of the zoo’s signature attractions.
In 2001, the corporate group operating the zoo, including Phoenix International Tourism, became subject to proceedings under Japan’s Corporate Rehabilitation Act. This raised concerns about the zoo’s future. Miyazaki City subsequently moved forward with a plan to acquire the facility, and on September 8, 2001, it reopened under the name Miyazaki City Phoenix Natural Zoo.
Since the reopening, management has been handled by Miyazaki City Phoenix Natural Zoo Management Co., Ltd., a third-sector company funded by Miyazaki City.
In 1974, the zoo successfully achieved Japan’s first artificial hatching of an ostrich. This accomplishment was recognized by the Japanese Association of Zoos and Aquariums, which presented the zoo with its Animal Breeding Award for fiscal year 1975. The achievement encouraged the zoo to further develop its animal breeding programs.
The zoo also has a notable record in giraffe breeding. The first second-generation Maasai giraffe was born in 1977, followed by the first third-generation giraffe in 1982. These achievements established the zoo as one of Japan’s leading facilities for giraffe breeding.
In December 2021, a female Maasai giraffe named Konatsu was transferred free of charge to Kumamoto City Zoological and Botanical Gardens, where she began a new life.
The zoo also keeps red pandas. On one occasion, the unusual behavior of a mother red panda feeding solid food to her young by mouth-to-mouth transfer attracted public attention.
Atsushi Miyazawa, an animal trainer affiliated with Cuddly Dominion, previously worked at the zoo and was responsible for an orangutan named Sakura. Sakura became well known through appearances on the TBS television program Dobutsu Kisoten-gai! (“Amazing Animals!”).
In 1997, Sakura and Miyazawa also appeared in the “Miyazaki Resort Enjoyment Trip” segment of the Hokkaido Television (HTB) late-night variety program Suiyō Dōdeshō. The footage remains a valuable record of that period.
The zoo is also known as the birthplace of the chimpanzee Pan-kun, who later lived at Cuddly Dominion. Pan-kun went on to appear in numerous television and media programs and became widely popular.
On April 4, 2019, a 31-year-old male chimpanzee named Genki escaped from his enclosure. He crossed a water moat measuring 6 meters wide and 1.2 meters deep and made his way outside the facility.
The zoo staff responded quickly and evacuated all visitors to the restaurant area to ensure their safety. Fortunately, nobody was injured. Approximately one hour later, a veterinarian safely captured Genki using a tranquilizer dart.
The incident revealed a mistaken assumption in the enclosure’s design: it had been constructed on the belief that chimpanzees disliked water and could not swim. The escape demonstrated the importance of understanding the animals’ actual abilities and behavior when designing their habitats.
The nearest railway station is Hyūga-Sumiyoshi Station on the JR Nippo Main Line. Visitors can use the train as a convenient way to reach the zoo.