Tama Zoological Park

Oct 27, 2019

During this event, we had six scouts with us, Anna, Ayami, Frankie, Hiromu, Sachi, and Yuna.

The day began with our usual meeting at Tachikawa Station. Once everyone was accounted for and goodbyes were given, we were on our way. We caught the monorail for a quick ride to Tama Dobutsu Koen Station. We arrived at Tama Zoo before opening time, so we were able to line up and get in as soon as possible.

Once we were admitted into the zoo, we found a quiet spot to start our writing for the day. After the Scouts had finished, we made our way to the nearby Dobutsu Hall and Cafe. Although the hall has a few small insect exhibits, we were there for the free animal themed worksheets. Any Scout who wanted one could choose some fun (and free) worksheets about their favorite animals. They filled them out as we went along, since the sheets came with a convenient clipboard and pencils. Once the Scouts had finished choosing, we moved on the first themed area of the park, the Insectarium.

The exhibit had all kinds of bugs, from leaf cutting ants, to glow worms and giant cockroaches. However, there was one big surprise, the Butterfly Dome. It was a part of the Insectarium that was designed to accommodate many different species of butterflies. Unlike the cool outdoor air, it was warm and sunny inside, with multicolored flowers and plants hanging from arches above our heads. The Scouts filled out their first worksheet there, identifying different types of butterflies. Once they had finished, we moved on to the second building in the Insectarium Zone. There, the Scouts were able to try holding live crickets and stick-insects, and saw some fascinating exhibits of foreign bugs.

By the time we had been through the second building, everyone was in need of a break, and it was already near noon. So we laid down our mats in the nearby picnic area and had lunch. Next on the agenda was the African Zone, and it was only a short trek to the first animals, the servals and the cheetahs.

The Scouts had been looking forward to seeing the cheetahs in particular. Luckily, the cheetahs had an open air habitat as well as indoor, and the Scouts were able to get a great view of them. Some other animals we were able to see include lions, elephants, giraffes, chimpanzees, and flamingos. Yuna and Anna were very determined to see all the birds they could in Tama Zoo, so after we met the flamingos, we were on a mission to visit the rest. So we continued on to the oriental white stork, ostriches, and to the macaws. We consider making a detour to visit the guinea pig petting zoo, but we all decided the wait was too long. Instead, we went over to see the otters, who unfortunately were fast asleep, but the Scouts loved them all the same. Then we came to what have been the Scout’s favorite part of the trip, the Walk-In Aviary.

Inside, you were able to walk through the habitats of many different types of birds, from all around the world. Some of them would even stray onto the pathway, so close you could almost touch them! After we made our way through, we walked up the hill to the eagle aviary. Here, you could watch all kinds of massive birds of prey flying and nesting, all within a large dome. There were eagles, hawks, owls, in all different varieties. Some Scouts, like Yuna, could have stayed there for the whole day! But we had to move on, and next up was the Austrailian Zone.

Unfortunately, we only got to see a few animals there, but we did manage to see on the most famous Australian animals, up close. The kangaroo! Its enclosure was very open, so it made it easy for the Scouts to get near enough to easily fill out their worksheets. The Scouts got to take some photos with a cute kangaroo statue later. After everyone had enough of kangaroos, we continued on to the Asiatic Zone.

First, we saw the Asian elephants and the Himalayan tahrs. Then, we came to the tiger exhibit, Anna’s favorite animal. We were even able to watch a young and energetic tiger practice hunting and camouflage in the grass! At the lar gibbon’s enclosure, a gibbon reached out to touch Mr. Mark and the Scouts, who ooh-ed and aah-ed at the sight. When we reached the orangutans, we had already missed the sky walk time. The Scouts were still able to enjoy watching the “men of the forest” play in their faux-habitat. We passed the snow leopard, and soon came up to the red pandas.

The Scouts were busy with their worksheets when a friendly senior citizen came to offer a handmade gift of origami animals. Every Scout got their own pack of colorful creatures. After accepting the presents, the Scouts were sure to say thank you!

After that, we saw the golden takins and chamois, and made are way over to the wolves and horses. By this time, the Scouts were getting tired, so we all agreed that after this, we would head back to the main gate. Sadly, the wolves weren’t out, so the Scouts had to give up on that particular worksheet and move on to the horses. The helpful workers were eager to teach the Scouts anything they wanted to learn, and soon the last of their worksheets were done. We went back to see the wolves once more, but with no luck, we headed down the mountain.

Once we reached the bottom, a few of the Scouts remembered that there was a nearby exhibit that we had missed, the Mole House. We decided to take a quick detour and made our way to the Mole House. The place was set up so that you could easily see into the moles’ little burrows, and the Scouts amused themselves with watching them scurry around their homes. But the tiredness from a day of trekking across Tama Zoo won over curiosity, and soon enough we were heading back to the main gate.

We made a quick stop at the Gift Shop, were Scouts picked out and purchased their own souvenirs. Soon enough, we were through the main gates and back on the monorail to Tachikawa. On the train ride back, the Scouts finished writing their journals for the day, and added drawings of their favorite animal to their notebooks. Then, we arrived back at Tachikawa Station, and everyone made it safe and sound to drop off.

All of the Scouts had a great day of discovery and exploration at the Tama Zoological Park, and we hope we’ll see you all again soon!