Ueno Zoo's Night Zoo
From October 9 to 12, Ueno Zoo is holding its Night Zoo event, with opening hours extended until 8 p.m.
In addition to information online, I heard from a regular visitor to Nogeyama that it would be unbelievably crowded, so what was Ueno Zoo's Small Mammal House actually like?
Incidentally, from noon until evening, I had been watching Figa at Nogeyama Zoo.
Figa was as he always is.
After Nogeyama Zoo closed, I headed to Ueno Zoo.
It takes less than an hour to get from Nogeyama to Ueno by public transportation, so apparently there are manul fans who regularly visit both zoos on the same day.
I arrived at Ueno Zoo at around 6 p.m.
However, there were enough people at the ticket booth by the entrance to form a line, which gave me a slightly bad feeling.
The zoo had not added extra lighting for the Night Zoo event, so I walked through the unusually dark grounds to the Small Mammal House in the West Garden, where the Pallas's cats live.
The Small Mammal House was extremely crowded, and the area in front of Saffron was especially packed.
Perhaps because Pallas's cats have become better known in Japan in recent years, many people who do not normally visit zoos seem to want to see one. This spot, right after entering the building, is very conspicuous.
On top of that, Saffron is incredibly cute, so many people kept saying, “Cute!” while taking photos and videos.
Despite it being a time when the zoo would normally be closed and empty, Saffron seemed quite bewildered by the crowds of people gathering around her (and most of them probably did not know that she is not yet accustomed to being on display). She spent much of the time frozen atop the rocks.
Meanwhile, her father Kuryon was fast asleep despite the noisy surroundings.
After waking up, he walked around the enclosure as usual, but Kuryon, too, seemed a little troubled by the sheer number of people.
And Nima downstairs slept the entire time I was there.
Also, the underground exhibit, rumored to become brighter during Night Zoo, remained dark this time, with only red lighting, until the Small Mammal House closed.
This was the first day of Night Zoo, and it may have been an especially trying day for Saffron.
Still, despite so many people, the fact that she stayed out in the open for a long time without hiding feels like a major step forward for Saffron.
And in addition to the meat saved as a post-closing treat for Saffron, I hope the keepers gave her a generous overtime bonus and that she can make it through the rest of Night Zoo without overexerting herself.
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— Besides, Safran is very cute, so many people kept saying, “How cute!” and taking photos and videos.
That’s because Shafran is such an adorable kitty that I have to raise the question: is it even legal to be such a cool kitty?
Klyon is an experienced, wise cat 🤗🥰 He is under my adoration.
Naim is a good boy, sleeping peacefully to his heart’s content 🤗
Thank you for sharing the nighttime journey. It’s very interesting to see how Pallas’s cats behave in a slightly unfamiliar setting, with lots of visitors at night.
Thank you for the detailed report 😊
Pallas's cats have become incredibly popular lately, haven't they?
As a Pallas's cat fan, I'm happy about it, but the crowds are also a nuisance.
Saffron really did her best 👏
Kuryon has that impressive presence one would expect, doesn't he?
Perhaps Naima wasn't made into “Bright Naima” out of consideration for her age, so as not to put too much strain on her?
Wow look at that crowd!! 🤯
A night zoo sounds soooo cool, but I can definitely see it being confusing to the animals. Kinda like when I get up unusually early and my guinea pig gets all bewildered. 😂
“Figa, as always, was in his usual mood.” 😂
Thank you! Pallas’s cats have so many fans in Japan—wonderful!
omg, love Shafran so so much!! also Klyon, Naim, and Figa!!!!!
Wow, look how many people are around Shafran! Now I understand her very well! If there were that many people with cameras around me all day, I wouldn’t come out of my little house either!
Dear schwentine, thank you so much for your reports, full of humor and love for Pallas's cats!
(Figa-kun as always)))
Maeko Ushiro, Ever since around the time Naima fell ill, there have been more signs saying, “Please keep quiet in the underground exhibit room,” and there have also been occasions when keepers checking in would firmly remind visitors to be quiet (apparently, they would also prefer people not to get too close to her face). More care has been taken to avoid causing Naima any stress whatsoever.
So I think one reason it was not made brighter this time may also have been consideration for keeping the burden on Naima to a minimum.
schwentine, Naim is a treasure. Our shared heritage. We love him very much and send him rays of health and longevity. Live a long life, cat!
schwentine, So that’s how it is after all! People do say various things about Naima’s enclosure, but it’s wonderful that she is being cared for under such attentive arrangements 😊