In any zoo, i believe the proportion of children takes up a high percentage in their visitor numbers and for that same reason, many of them chose to come up with attractions that specially target the kids. Upon stepping in, you would immediately be captivated by the free roaming sheep although they mostly kept within the hardly-there barricades; likely to stay beyond the reach of inquisitive and hyperactive kids. Talking about the kids, do keep an eye on them! Plenty of chocolate-like pebbles were scattered all over the floor and the last thing you want is to have your own kid generously taking a handful and putting them into their mouth! Shetland Pony - the word pony refers to horses below shoulder height of 147 centimeters and their comparatively diminutive size makes their popular as house pets. Maybe that's possible in Hokkaido; just not in land-scarce Singapore. Informative panel, in Japanese and English. Honestly, i really appreciate the effort to have the information translated to a language that i can understand. All 24 of them; each with their own name and description of their pattern for ease of identification. Guinea pigs are actually extremely vocal and i can imagine their squeaks in response to their names being called. There were enclosed sections within the children's zoo and the above would showcase one cute primate that can also be found in Singapore's River Safari! Another free roaming area; this time for the geese and surprisingly, i don't see the environment to be littered with pee and poo. In Japan, almost everywhere is spick and span and the worst i had encountered was in a toilet near Suitengu Shrine at Otaru. Found the geese waddling about the compound. Dosanko Forest - had no idea what animals were contained behind the glass panes although i did see a number of rat-like creatures. A subspecies of the mountain hare - it has a special ability; their coat turns white in winter! If you ask me, that's really interesting!
Subspecies of the raccoon dog; the enclosure looked like it was close for maintenance with a net hanging over it. If i am the raccoon dog, i would 'fly up' to the net and chew my way through for freedom.
The black tailed prairie dogs in Beaver Forest section; super adorable with their cute chipmunk faces, short legs and round bodies!
A common raccoon sleeping comfortably in an uncomfortable position! So in comparison to the raccoon dog, what are the differences? In terms of species, raccoon dog belongs more to the dog family and if you are interested to know more, check out the post here.
The missing American beaver; likely hidden in the mountain of twigs and woods!
Did you realise the details that the operator put in? Knowing that kids can't be that tall, the fence was purposely built at that height so that the children of primary age can peer in without having to tiptoe.
Domesticated fowl with the domesticated European rabbits.
Rabbit species at Maruyama Zoo were the kind highly sought after in Singapore; like the lop-ear, the flemish giants and ultra adorable Netherlands dwarf rabbits!
Some barriers were literally just ropes across wooden poles! Should the same arrangement be made in Southeast Asian countries, i can guarantee you that kids and adults would venture in simply because it's not considered a barricade.
Parents might even argue that if you want to prevent people from going in; build something that's prohibitive. Sad yet true.
The ever appealing peacock! I read in a news article that somewhere in China, visitors would actively search for peacocks and cruelly pluck out their feathers!
Last few photographs of the free-roaming sheep before we exited the Children's Zoo to check out the rest of Sapporo Maruyama Zoo. =====
Location![]()
Maruyama Zoo, Miyagaoka 3 Banchi 1, Chuo-ku,
064-0959, Hokkaido, Japan
Nearest Subway Station
Maruyama Koen (Exit 3).
Walk about 15 minutes.
Website
Pricing
Entrance ticket to the zoo applies at 600 yen an adult.
