Japan's only cage-free zoo: behind the scenes and surprising initiatives

Tokiwa Zoo in Yamaguchi Prefecture, the only zoo in Japan that is completely cage-free, will be featured in the documentary program "The Backyard: A Look Behind the Scenes of the Labyrinth of Knowledge," which will be broadcast on NHK Educational TV from 10 pm on September 10th. Behind the scenes of the zoo, where you can get up close and personal with the animals, there are some surprising efforts being made to recreate a natural environment.

The program's reporter is Emily Nakayama. The backstage of Tokiwa Zoo is where all the zoos are closed. The plants in the zoo, which are used to display the natural habitats, grow rapidly if left unattended. Not only do they get in the way of exhibits and traffic, but they also pose a risk of monkeys falling into the pond, so the zookeepers always carry pruning shears with them.

The secret to keeping the animals lively and active is also in feeding them. They have come up with a clever way to make use of unexpected discarded items, making them "inevitable to eat unless you look for them." Nakayama goes to the back yard of Monkey Island on a raft...

The narrator is Tomoya Nakamura.