Japan's 'most dangerous' zoo to close soon

The operator of North Safari Sapporo Zoo, Success-Kanko, announced the closure schedule on its website on March 10.

North Safari Sapporo Zoo opened in July 2005 and has been in operation for nearly 20 years and is constantly expanding.

North Safari Sapporo is located in a mountainous area 20km southwest of the center of Sapporo City. The zoo has facilities for housing, caring for and displaying about 150 species of animals, including lions, tigers and Asian black bears.

This zoo is very popular because visitors can directly interact with the animals. North Safari Sapporo is often introduced on TV shows and travel magazines as "Japan's most dangerous zoo" because it allows visitors to go inside the cage and feed the tigers.

Sapporo City has issued an order to demolish illegal structures in North Safari Sapporo. The Japan News reported that with this order, authorities can forcibly remove structures that do not comply with the city’s urban development plan. Failure to comply will result in a prison sentence of up to one year or a fine of 500,000 yen.

Then in February, the zoo submitted a work plan stating that it would complete the demolition by the end of 2029.

According to the Sapporo City Government, because the entire grounds of North Safari Sapporo Zoo are located in an urbanization control area, prior permission is required to construct facilities such as animal breeding facilities.

In October 2004, before the opening of North Safari Sapporo, Sapporo City confirmed that the zoo was being built illegally. The city issued administrative instructions to Success-Kanko to obtain the necessary permits. However, the company continued construction without following the instructions and opened the zoo.