Tennoji Zoo opened in 1915 and will celebrate its 110th anniversary on January 1, 2025. The 11-hectare zoo is home to around 1,000 animals of 170 species, including lions, chimpanzees, and polar bears, as well as the kiwi, the national bird of New Zealand, which can only be seen at Tennoji Zoo in Japan, and the drill, which has a distinctive pitch-black face. The zoo recreates the habitats of animals as much as possible and has "ecological exhibits" that introduce the animals' behavior in those habitats. Visitors can encounter a variety of animals in the city, including the Reptile Ecological House (IFAR), where the Japanese pond turtle, a near-threatened species, lives, the Penguin Park & ​​Sea Lion Wharf, where visitors can see the ocean scenery where penguins and sea lions swim freely, and the Bird World, where visitors can see up close the ecology of birds that have adapted to and inhabit a variety of environments.